Ordinaries

Chapter 27

I'd originally thought that the names "Armageddon" and "The Wastelands" were overkill. Not anymore.

Lindsey stared in shock at Roberto's body, but she didn't get long to do so. Jet black helicopters and Helixes crashed in from nowhere, and the pitter patter of the rain and the cracks of lightning were drowned out by roaring engines and gunfire. The party took about five seconds to disperse as people ran for the doors, and my friends and I bolted through the now-empty window frames and across the green outside. Down the hill, I could see the other houses emptying out as more vehicles arrived. Necrose aircrafts dropped projectiles that exploded in clouds of black pixie dust, and when the mist cleared, Extraordinaries lay motionless on the streets.

As we ran down the hill, Necrose soldiers in black bodysuits melted out of the darkness and nabbed people around us, injecting them with syringes that made them crumple within seconds. They seemed to be restraining the Extraordinaries rather than harming them. It reminded me of something, but I was too wired, running for all I was worth, to figure out what. I just hoped they thought we were Extraordinaries too, because something told me they wouldn't be as kind to Ordinaries.

Camila had taken off her heels and was running with them, and she nailed a Necrose soldier in the eye with the sole of one of them as he grabbed her. I could see more and more cars pulling up on both sides of the road as we pelted away from the mansion. Shadows unloaded from them and moved in, and our group collectively doubled our pace, until Adriana stopped, yelling, "My pills!"

I turned to where she was staring and saw a squad of Necrose exiting Yasmine's sorority, all holding containers full of the purple pills. Adriana started to run toward them, but I pulled her away. "You can't do anything!" I exclaimed. "We need to leave!"

With a last longing look, Adriana allowed me to drag her away as we caught up to the others. We tore through the middle of campus, where the Necrose and containment officers who had been standing post earlier were now apprehending Extraordinaries left and right. A legion of helicopters zoomed in and formed a kind of hexagon in the sky. I realized what they were about to do right before it happened.

"Hold your breath!" I yelled. Panicked and scared, my friends listened without questioning. We pulled our shirts up over our noses and mouths just as more projectiles emptied from the helicopters, coating the entire center of campus in clouds of the black pixie dust. Some Extraordinaries had covered themselves like us, but far more dropped onto the sidewalks and streets like narcoleptic zombies.

We set off towards the gates we'd come in from, and I cursed Elys for having such a huge university. More bombs exploded all around us, and by the time we made it to the stairs that led down to the campus's grounds, I was about to pass out from lack of oxygen.

Unfortunately, when we reached the stairs, they were no longer stairs. Instead, they were taped off and covered with thick plastic sheets. Probably to stop drunk people from walking down a thousand wet, steep concrete steps. I was just considering running back to find another way down when five Helixes rolled up behind us and at least fifteen Necrose soldiers jumped out. I suddenly found myself the target of way more assault rifles than I was comfortable with.

Jade was the one to speak up, teeth gritted and smiling at the guards. "Anyone got any bright ideas?"

"Stop talking!" said one of the soldiers. "Come over here and this will all be very easy."

I didn't know how he could hear us over the mayhem happening all around, but Lindsey put her hands down. "Just give it up guys. It's over."