Evolution

Evolution: Chapter 4

"If we stay here; we are sitting ducks. We need to devise a safe route for us to find somewhere safe."

Tension swelled through the dimly lit room, making us all rigid with anticipation. Outside, there was a blizzard aggressively wreaking havoc through the woodlands that surrounded us. I don't know what would make this harder; the weather, or the amount of numbers against us.

What made it worse? Time was passing too quick for any of us to make detailed plans. The most we'd managed to achieve was changing into suitable outdoor clothes, over our night ones. At the facility, we'd trained for these kinds of exerts but now it was happening.

And even though so much time had passed, seventeen years' worth of drills awakened inside me.

It was like dormant knowledge suddenly bubbled to the surface. I'd ran through scenario's exactly like this one with Eric himself; 'There is an undetectable incoming night attack. Direct me to safety.' Those were the games I played growing up, and they're the ones I was good at.

"Well, if there's one person in the room who always has an escape plan," Eric began in a low voice, his words clearly directed at the elephant in the room, "It's you."

Eric's distinct tone of dislike was enough to make the twins, who flanked Ripper, straighten. I wondered what made them so protective of the man, why did they care about his wellbeing? I never got close enough to scent them, not fully in the informative way I could.

But I suspected that he also made them too.

At least now I could tell the two apart. Warren was the largest between the two, his composure always seemed harder to break. Like he was hand carved from marble. The way his pale blue eyes, trained on Two made me wonder the extent of his knowledge, always hard and unyielding.

He knows more than we do. He may be strong, but his twin has expressive eyes.

Wayland wasn't any less threatening. There was something so easy about inflicting that temper of his, dangerous for all of us. Buried in his glassy blue eyes, there was a ball of aggression that always burned bright, waiting to be unleashed.

Standing together, like they always did, it was more intimidating than I'll ever say aloud.

"The reason this cabin was built was to ensure security." Ripper stated, finishing the last of what was in his glass, "There is no civilization for miles; only the forest stretches. This house is the only source of electricity, that leaves us with just one option. I can send out a signal, one that will be picked up by Veronica's technology, and run like hell to pick up point before they catch us."

Eric was pacing across the exposed wooden floorboards, a concentrated expression. It was what he done when he was mapping out something in his mind, he went silent and looked broody. I could sense whatever he was thinking about made his insides coil, he was unsettled.

"We can't leave Hayden behind." Ander stated firmly, lifting his chin towards the window, "She's out there because we sent her. The woman is a hard-ass, she knows how to handle herself; send the signal, and a warning, to her."

Hayden had left around nine days after we arrived here. There was no haste wasted, between the private meetings between the adults and their daily hunts, she barely had time to speak. All we knew about her whereabouts, was that she was faraway with a direct line to...alliances.

I remember her annoyance at her four-hour long journey ahead of her. The only vehicle we had out here was a snow jeep with a busted engine. One which Ander had been working on fixing, I hoped that, for the human's sake, he'd succeeded in fixing it.