Fighters

Chapter Three

Tristan's POV

Dad put the gas to the floor and the jeep lurched forward. His once relaxed driving posture stiffened as he held the wheel with both hands. "Try to reach her again." He said and I picked it up, stating, "Soldier 2-5-2-8 to base, do you copy, over." But all we heard was static now. I watched as pops took a deep breath and held it, trying to calm down. "It was her talking, wasn't it?" he asked and all I could do was nod. I felt like my lungs were going to collapse, I couldn't breathe. Why did my little sister have the walkie? Mom always locked her away in the compound when we were under any sort of duress. This is bad, I knew it.

Eric leaned forward and put his hand on my arm, "It's going to okay, Trist. Okay?" I looked at him and couldn't help but feel the water swirl in my eyes as he squeezed my arm.

"Who was that on the walkie? That you're freaking out about?" Jaskson asked. I stiffened at his voice, it had been so long since I heard it. I turned to look at him and glared, resting my hand on my machete. His eyes narrowed at me, and Sierra leaned over to whisper in his ear. He shook his head and shrugged her off though. He was stupid enough to ask again, "Who was that?"

"Was it Kasey, Tristan? Is she back there? Do you think something is happening to her?" I looked at Josie and then at dad, at his white knuckles gripping the steering wheel. I turned in my seat facing the front again and said, "That wasn't my mom, it was Aurora." The gasps from the back seat startled me a bit and I looked in the rearview mirror at them.

"Aurora? As in your sister?" Jaskson asked, and for the first time he looked.... Happy. His guard down. "and what do you mean mom? Your mom is right here?" I looked at Sierra who looked back at me and smiled. I couldn't help but glare at them, and they all shrunk back a little. I looked at dad and saw he was barely holding on, his face red, knuckles strained on the wheel, the speed we were going almost alarming.

I took a deep breath and turned to the back seat, look at Eric first who nodded, and then back to the other three. "Let me get this straight and catch you up before we get to my home. Do no interrupt, do you understand?" I paused for their answers and they nodded. "We are going to our compound, where my MOM, who you know as Kasey, is in charge. You will refer to her as Captain and you will be respectful. She is married to my dad, Clay." I looked at him and put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He relaxed a bit, but now much. "I call her my mom because she saved Aurora and I by herself, she met dad a year later and he joined up with her, and then they built our home and brought new people in. Aurora recognizes them as mom and dad also, so don't be hopeful that she'll be any nicer to you than I have. We looked for you for a long time, longer than we should have just to know you were right under our noses. You didn't look for us. Mom did, Dad saved us. End of story. So when we get back we're going to help my people and then take you right back to The Helm so you can keep living with the ignorant thought that were all dead to you." I turned back in my seat, realizing we were only a mile away.

I hurried and open the glove compartment, removing dads gun and loading it, and after placing the safety I set it in his lap. He nodded at me, while I got my pack off the floor and onto my pack, and my machete unsheathed and in my hand. I could hear Eric getting himself ready in the back as I reached into my pack to load my own gun just in case and place it in my waistband.

"We aren't armed, what will we do?" Sierra asked, speaking for the first time. It dad who answered, "keep your ass in the car because we can't afford to baby sit you". I nodded at him, and faced forward, and the sounds of the dead and gunshots could already be heard. I put my hand on the door handle, ready to jump out.

"Son?" Dad asked, and I looked over at him and gave him a smirk. He looked terrified for a second before he masked it. "We're fighters, remember? We never stop." I nodded at him, repeating the motto over and over in my head. And when I turned to look straight at our home, it wasn't only the three in the back seat who gasped this time.