Fear and Sabers | (The Push of a Button #1)

Almost over

Somehow, I managed to force myself inside the dark tree.

I pulled the bushes in after me, covering the opening. Unfortunately, that blocked out most of our light. I felt panic begin to well up inside me again.

"Hey! It's awesome in here!" I heard a laughing voice and realized it was Jam.

"Jam?" I nearly shrieked. "Where are you?" His laughter echoed throughout the stump. As I my eyes adjusted, I could see the walls of the tree stretched out to form a huge room. As far as I could see, the area above us was also empty, creating the echoing effect. The floor was soft and damp and smelled like a mixture of dirt, must, and the sweet smell of the tree itself.

"Kids," my voice quivered, "come here."

Avy and Jam hurried back over to me, hearing the panic in my tone.

"Are you okay?" Avy questioned, sitting and scooting up close to me. I could see her worried expression in the semi-darkness.

"I uh....I just don't like the dark," I tried to smile. "It scares me."

"It's not so scary!" Jam piped up. "It can't hurt you."

"Sh-h," I put a finger to my lips. "We have to be quiet in here. The...the bad guys are coming this way, okay?" I drew in a deep breath and patted Pico's back.

"Okay," Avy nodded.

"Why- why don't you guys tell me about yourselves?" I prompted. "I've never been to your planet before."

And so the kids told me about their way of life. I listened as intently as I could, trying to keep my mind off the suffocating darkness. Pico squirmed a few times, and I was afraid he would begin crying, but he didn't. Avy and Jam whisper-talked over each other, telling me about their family and how Dauntless had taken them prisoner. Avy explained their mother had sent them on ahead while she helped their grandmother. The gunfire had startled them into hiding.

"You guys are very brave," I told them. "Your mom will be so proud."

"If she's still alive," Jam said morosely.

"Hey, your mom is going to be just fine," I stated firmly. "Jedi Rey and Kylo Ren will make sure everyone is safe."

"Are you a Jedi too?" Avy questioned me. I laughed a little.

"No, I'm not a Jedi. I'm just a friend."

"You a very nice friend," Avy beamed at me. "Thank you for helping us."

I felt a little choked up.

The minutes ticked by, or were they hours? I entertained the kids, and myself, with telling stories about my own family. The kids were very curious about this Earth I talked about. Slowly, every so slowly, I relaxed. The darkness wasn't so bad-

We all jumped as my comlink crackled.

"Kenna? Kenna come in."

"Rey!"

"Oh, thank the force you're okay. I have your location, but where are you?"

"I'm hiding in a tree- I found some kids. They're safe."

"Okay," I heard murmuring in the background of the link. "Okay. We have most of the Duns captured. They took out a good portion of the forest, but the rest of them are fleeing the planet."

"Dauntless-"

"Dauntless will be spending the rest of his days in prison. Stay where you are, I'll have someone come get you."

"Okay." I turned towards the kids, relief flooding through me. It was over. We were safe. "Hear that kiddos? We're safe!"

They stared at me.

"What?" I frowned.

"You said to be quiet," Avy explained.

"Oh." I smiled. "No, it's okay now. You can be loud again."

The kids cheered so loudly I had to cover my ears.

"Maybe not that loud!"

————

I'd like to hang out in a huge tree.

One more chapter to go.