Calvicia

Chapter 14

They both lay down there for what seemed like an eternity. Were they sleeping? Were they passed out? Were they just lying there? Nobody knows.

Kayla did eventually sit up at one point. It was due to her getting phone calls from her mom. She picked up the phone and talked with a calm voice.

"Kayla? Where are you? I want you to return home now!"

"I'm fine mom. I'll come home right now."

"Good. Don't go to the city. Come straight home okay?"

"Yes of course."

Kayla wakes Ray up, "Wake up dude. I've to go home. My mom's calling me."

"Oh, that's alright. I'll just lie here then."

"No. You're coming with me."

"Fine." Ray gets up weakly, "Why. Why is it so hard. To walk. Straight?!"

"I'm thinking it could be related to the special activity we just conducted."

"That really was strange. What we just did."

"Would I do it again? Never!"

"Come on. Let's hurry,"

They unlock their bikes and start to ride back home. Peculiarly, Zandra's bike was not there. Could she have ran away? As they neared the city, the roads kept getting busier and busier. People were evacuating in panic of another attack.

Eventually, the traffic became so thick that they had to walk. Being so exhausted after their recent battle and now having to walk? It was too much.

"I don't think I can go on anymore. Ray call me an ambulance."

"Let's rest a bit." Ray responds.

"No. We must go on." Kayla replies.

Kayla and Ray head off road and approach a tree stump.

"We're gonna sit here and rest."

"Fine."

After a long pause, "Look at all these people. Running for their lives." says Kayla as she runs a look over the people hurling here and there.

"They're like sheep."

"Exactly."

"You know, this is exactly what the enemy would want. Countless groups of running people make the best targets for bomb runs."

"Cheese and breadsticks! You're right. We better get out of here."

Kayla and Ray set off again. This time, they're taking the off road. Surely enough, they're able to reach the city where only hours ago, a great battle had taken place.

"The city sure has a grim texture to it today." says Kayla

"At least, the school will be off."

"Didn't your mom say to avoid the city?"

"Yep but I don't know any other way back home than this one."

"Could have asked me."

"Yeah. It doesn't matter now."

They ride through the nearly empty streets of the inner city with ease and arrive at Kayla's home quickly.

"Oh look. It's Zandra's bike! She must be inside."

They go inside and see that Kayla's parents and Zandra are in the living room, watching the news.

"Hey guys."

"Oh you're safe. We were so worried about you!" said Natlia as she hugs her daughter.

"I'm fine mom. You can let go now."

"Oh, Ray! What a pleasant surprise to see you here."

"I was with Kayla and Zandra when it happened. I have never seen a girl run so fast. Zandra was like lightning. She ran for her bike and escaped in literally a few seconds."

"Hey! I did what I had to do!"

"But what took you so long?" Aaron asks.

"Well, I deduced that the sounds must be coming from the city, so we decided to wait it out."

"Good thinking, Ray." Natlia answers.

"Why'd the explosions stop anyway? Is it over?" Kayla asks.

"Well the news says that it was a terrorist attack and the army was able to handle it."

"The army?"

"Yeah. They said that they sent two highly skilled spec ops operatives in fully armored mechwarrior suits to deal with the threat."

"And they were able to handle them?!"

"Yep. With ease."

"How many terrorists were there?"

"The news says they counted five bodies."

Ray and Kayla look at each other in a fusion of excitement, disgust, fear and confusion. The media was fabricating the truth.

"Do you think the school will be off the next week?" Zandra ponders

"I don't care if it's closed or not. I'm not going." Kayla replies.

"Yeah me too. What about you Ray?"

"I won't go until the situation gets better"

After the sun had set, Zandra and Ray took to each of their homes. To sleep off the madness that took place.

However, not everyone was as fortunate as them. For some had lost their loved ones, some were seriously injured, some lost their businesses and someone somewhere lost a whole squad of Mechwarriors.

Life was not the same as before. Kayla and Ray were able to sleep because they knew that they had done something, that they had avenged the people who died and saved the people who lived. Still they had killed some people but they were grateful as it was a small price to pay. They were not very happy about their ordeal but they weren't grim about it either. The other people could not get a wink of sleep all night. But the emotionless eyes of Kayla and Ray had it's own toll on their mental health.