The first attack (On Hold)

Chapter 17: Neighbour's secret

The building we hid in had windows showing us the Middle, the place where everything started. There was a pedestal in the very middle of the roundabout. We probably had to put the book on it and start reading once we had done that. A big group of Kaechis, probably around 20, surrounded the pedestal, never getting closer than a metre from it.

The footsteps we heard before were another group of Kaechis. They marched towards the centre and they came from the direction of our car.If we were going to succeed, we had to come up with a plan. We had to get past the Kaechis and give ourselves enough time to read the spell.

“What do you suggest we do?” I asked her

“I don’t know” she said “there is no way we can get past them and have enough time to read the spell.” she paused and watched the pedestal closer “or maybe there is...Do you see how they never get closer than a metre from it?”

“I do, but I don’t see how that is going to help us”

“Do you remember what happened in the temple?” she asked me and I replied with a nod.”The Kaechis couldn’t enter because of an invisible barrier. That could mean that there is one here too. This could be our chance”

“You may be right, however, we are screwed if you aren’t correct. We could get in there only to be killed because there is no barrier” I said

“I know, but it is our only chance. If there is no barrier, we stand no chance” she replied

“I know, it is worth a shot. The question is, how do we get to the pedestal? they have it surrounded.”

She smiled at me “I think I know how to solve that problem” she walked to the back of the house and opened the window. She then began climbing out, I followed her. We stood in a poorly lit alley.

“Follow me” she said and started running as quickly as she could without making much noise. The kaechis didn’t hear us and it seemed they didn’t have any guards in other parts of the city.

Filippa led me through more alleyways and hidden places. She led me through abandoned buildings, backyards, destroyed streets and other places. Suddenly she stopped and faced me. “We are here. We have to get to the second floor, the door on the right”

We entered the building in front of us. On the front door I recognized a sticker she put on when she was little, so I knew this was where she lived. We were going to visit one of her neighbours. The reason was yet unknown to me.

Filippa stopped once again after running up the stairs to the second floor. She lifted the doormat, took out the keys and unlocked the door.

“How did you know the keys would be there?” I asked her

“He always puts them there” She simply said and entered.

The apartment was a mess, just like the other ones. There were broken things everywhere. Still,The apartment was in a better shape than mine and Filippa’s. There were some unbroken things here and there. A cupboard in the kitchen, a sofa in the living room, a wardrobe in the bedroom. Filippa started looking through everything at the same time as she started explaining.

“Do you remember when I told you about my neighbour? The one I was afraid of? I know it was several years ago but you haven’t forgotten, right?” I nodded. I remembered how she told me about him. He was often angry and hit people. He hit her once when she was younger. Sometimes at night, he would make really much noise so no one could sleep and he was often drunk and fighting someone.

“Well, it turned out he kept weapons in his apartment.” She said

“How do you know?”

“Well, I was afraid of him so  i once started spying on him to see when he left the apartment so I could keep away from him. I saw where he put his keys and what times he usually left. I decided that I would steal his bottles of  beer so he would stop drinking. Maybe that would make him kinder.” She took a deep breath and continued “I entered and looked for them. While I was looking for the beer, I accidentally found some weapons” I gasped “He had some guns, knives and grenades stashed in different hiding places in the apartment. I think we might be able to find a smoke one. If not, then we will have to use regular ones. I really hope he has some left” she said as she started looking again.

“I found one!” I exclaimed as soon as I saw some. There was a whole box with different weapons. It was hidden in the wardrobe that hadn’t been destroyed. Behind some clothes, in a corner.

Filippa came to me and started looking through the box. She pulled out some different types of grenades and a gun. “These will do” She said once she was satisfied with what she found

“Now we only have to go back. Do you know how to use a grenade?” she asked me

“No, do you?”

“Yes, my father had been in the army a short while. He taught me some stuff at our country house. I was interested so I wanted to learn as much as possible”

That was something I didn’t know about her. She never told me that.

“Before we go, I think I should teach you how to use them” she said and gave me a grenade. “Look, you have to press here and then pull here” She started instructing me as she showed on a grenade.

She made me try until I remembered and did it correctly. Of course, she didin’t actually make me activate the grenade, just made me show her in the air, pointing to the places on the grenade.

“Now we are ready” she said and we took the weapons and took off towards the middle.

A/N: I am really sorry for waiting so long until update. I had no idea what to write. I couldn't figure out how I should continue. But now I'm back!:D