THE KEY (book one)

|twenty-four|

You know that moment when you feel  as if everything is coming together but then you dig too deep and it falls apart, right in your hands.
Everything you've ever known.
Everything you've ever trusted.
Loved,believed in... fought for.
Is all a lie.
I stand in the middle of the wet street, hands shaking uncontrollably, heart racing and tears falling non stop. The sounds of flying mobiles, building commercials and distant people sound as if they're a million miles away now.
But I'm here.
Stuck.
Stuck in a void, a black hole with no end. Holding the answers to all my questions. What really happened, the truth.
Or so I hope.
I hold on to Ramon's memo chip like my life depends on it. Watching this can change everything. Watching this
can explain why my father did what he did.
Why'd he take part in stealing The Keys?
What was the real purpose behind it?
Why would he give me the last one?
Inserting Ramons memo chip, I scroll through the dates and times quickly.
Day and time my father past. The memory hits me like a truck.
Do I really want to see this? I question as my figure lingers over the date.
I need closure.
Quickly tapping, it plays right away.
It plays in my eyes but from Ramon's view.
"Are you sure you we should do this Ramon. H-he one of us." One of his men stutters. Ramon stays quiet looking at the door.
"Yea, what if the girls home?"
Still no response. He hesitates and before you know it the door blows down and everything repeats like a nightmare from hell. I walk with weak legs watching my father fall to the ground, and my small figure rushing to him.
I can't take it.
The pain is unbearable.
Swiping out of the memory I scan and look for the day they stole The Keys.
Finally finding it I don't hesitate to click and watch it play.
I skip through a series of events during that day. Them going over the plan thoroughly, making sure everything is right.
Skipping through to when The Vipers attack I pause and take a deep breath, knowing that what I'm about to see won't be easy for me. Pressing play I watch as a war between The Vipers and the Pexagon soldiers blow out of proportion. Bodies lay without life on the ground. Smoke bombs suffocate the air and gun shots and the screams of others increase.
"Vernon!" Ramon yells out my fathers name.
"Yea? This way!" He yells back. His voice sends a striking pain to my heart. A voice that used to bring warmth to my heart, made me smile made me feel safe.
"Come on!" My father yells again. Ramon follows his voice leading him to the same stair case I got caught in.
He quickly closes the door and turns to face my father.
He looks the same.
Same worried but strong eyes, same low cut black hair and tall strong figure.
"Are you okay brother? Do you have The Keys" Ramon asks in a panic.
Brother?
"Yes...y-yes I'm fine. I need to show you something." He explains struggling to get his words out.
"What is it?" My father walks over to a door and slides it open without wasting another second.
The Robots.
Everything stops. The recording, my heart, the world. It all stops.
The Robots. They've been there. The same Robots I saw the day of my field trip.
"No!" I yell wanting more.
"Where's the rest? Where is it!" I yell but before I can say another word I'm cut off buy the sound of a blaring mobile horn. Quickly turning off the chip and jumping back into reality I find myself in the middle of the road.
"Watch it I almost landed on you lady!" The boy yells and I just stare at him. I need to get back to the group. Walking over to the car I pull on the passenger door and without a thought I hop inside.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" The boy questions getting in the car. No emotion sparks in me once so ever.
"I need a ride, drive." The words come out mono tone.
"W-where to?" He stutters.
"I don't know the address I'll just show you the way alright, now drive." Slight anger grows in my voice but I tone it down. Not waiting another second he turns on the ignition and we fly off.
XXX
Finally here the young man parks the car in the familiar alley way.
"Thanks." I say quickly getting out of the mobile and running inside. I hope everyone is here. What if they were killed by Ramon's men or put in another underground location.
Wild thoughts sprint through my mind. I run up the stairs faster than ever and swing the door open, just to be greeted with a hard chest on my face. I look up to see Levi standing before me.
The amount of emotions waving across his face is unexplainable but I guess mine is. He brings a shaking hand to my cheek and scans my face as if he's looking for something. I close my eyes as he presses his forehead against mine. His touch brings a familiar safe feeling. A feeling that I desperately need.
"Is that her!" A female voice yells from behind him, Phoebe. Soon enough we are pulled from one another and another body is embracing mine. She pulls away and shakes me.
"Where the hell were you! Where! We were about to flip the cities to find you! Don't ever do that again! Don't-" She stops talking and pulls me in for another embrace. I still don't feel anything. Even if I want to, I just can't.
"Bring her inside." Levi says his voice demanding and desperate.
"Is it her?" Another confused voice yells from the hall, Luke. He walks out and shock is plastered on his face. Surprisingly a small smile forms on his lips, a smile of relief.
I can't bring myself to say anything right now as much as I need to I can't. They all sit around me and just stare like they're waiting for a story.
"Did you get the fourth key?" Luke breaks the silence rubbing his eyes. My shaking hands travel to my pocket pulling out the stone like Key Ramon gave me. I toss it on the The hologram table and sit back. Phoebe chuckles, "What a savvy." She says grabbing it.
"Erra." Levi speaks but I don't look at him.
We need to leave.
We have too.
I need to tell them.
"W- we- we have to..." The words come out choppy and it hurts.
"What is it?" Levi asks walking over to me now. He kneels down in front of me and frowns.
"W-we need to go." I shoot the words out.
"We need to-to leave now." I demand.
"And go where?" Luke blurts sitting up.
"M-my home." I say loud enough for all to hear.
"We need to go to my house on the border of the South." I explain shaking in what feels like fear.
"Why?" Phoebe questions standing up. I hesitate to say the truth but this isn't the time to keep secrets.
"Because... I'm the last Key."