Under the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 50

It took a few hours for things to settle down again. They had a mission, one they were ready for. One they hadn't counted on starting with a scare. The clouds were sparse and the glinting moon was slowly making its way off the sky. Luna's sword dragged her down, but the gun at her side felt heavier. She hoped she wouldn't have to touch it, much less use it. The thought of hurting another person still made her want to throw up. Their mission was simple, they had to get in, destroy as much as they could without attracting attention, and get out alive. If they could delay the White Sand even a little, that was good enough for the DoSD.

As soon as her feet touched down, she could feel they were in trouble. She couldn't see anything aside from the large grey building and surrounding landscape, but a strange anxiety ate away inside of her and seemed to cloud her vision.

The group hid in the dark, using the shadows as their disguise. Luna's gaze had slipped slightly too far to her left when she had spotted a dark figure slip out through one of the doors and use the cover of night to disappear. Even with her enhanced vision, Luna found it very difficult to discern who it was. They were too far, a black blob against the dark night. After a moment, Luna decided it must just have been in her head. She looked around quietly, scanning the area in front of her and determining that everyone was there. She looked up, studying the building. All the lights of the Castle were off, but there was no doubt that someone in there was expecting them.

Luna sighed deeply and gestured over at her friends. Luna slipped into the Castle first, through the window Lloyd had pried open. They expected an alarm to go off, but everything was silent. The others followed close behind, all on high alert and buzzing with adrenaline. They stalked through the Castle silently, the halls empty. They slid through the empty rooms, taking out equipment and keeping an eye out for soldiers.

There wasn't as much as a footstep to be heard. The Castle was still, not even a single person checking in on the grounds as flames licked through the room filled with weapons.

The mission wrapped up without an issue, and they made it back to the window. The overbearing feeling of dread hadn't left Luna, but she was feeling better after the successful mission. She just found it strange that they hadn't seen anybody. It was almost too easy.

Luna saw him first from the corner of her eye as she shimmied back out of the window. Lloyd and Colin were already in the sky, their figures hardly visible in the darkness. She looked again, just to be sure she hadn't imagined it. A dark shadow pointing a gun towards her from the front of the Castle. She sped up her pace, hopping down to the ground and attempting to escape. She heard the gun fire just as she pushed off the ground. The bullet zipped past her head, clipping the top of her wing. She hissed, landing on the roof with Lloyd and Colin. She walked over to where Sylvia and Harper were destroying various satellites and other equipment.

Another gunshot rang out again, spooking the group like a flock of birds. Lily and Razaia met them on the roof, frantic expressions visible even in the dark. They took off wordlessly, hiding in the clouds and blending against the black sky.

☆★☆

The lights were off as they entered Base Camp, and everything was trashed. Everything was destroyed, table and chairs smashed, TV on the floor, weapons stolen. There was no way anyone could have seen them enter, they were always so careful. It had to have been someone who already knew where to find it all.

Elijah. It couldn't have been anyone else and they all knew it. Sylvia started to shake with rage, feeling her face glow red. Luna balled up her fists and stormed out. She ran her hands through her hair, tossing it behind her as the wind caught it. She felt free standing outside in the fresh air, but at the same time she felt like she was in a cage. She knew they had to leave, and they had to go now. This was a sign. A sign that they were not safe.

They took what they could and made their way back to their neighborhood. They knew none of their houses would be safe, and they couldn't go back to Base Camp, so they had to find a new place.

There was an abandoned house at the end of the street, tucked away into a corner, estranged from the other houses. It had been empty for years, receiving no care or attention, just collapsing in on itself as time went by.

They packed up a few bags, loaded them into Lana's car and Lloyd drove it over to the empty house. They spent at least an hour cleaning up, clearing away bugs and mold, and throwing out anything they didn't need..

"The Refuge House," Luna muttered as she ran her hand along a splintering wall. "For refugees running from terrorists."

☆★☆

Trae was skating through the neighborhood when he heard hushed voices. They were coming from the abandoned house at the end of the street. His mind drifted back to that day that seemed so far in the past; the day he, Luna, and Lloyd had been stopped in front of it on their way to school.

The second floor had caved in onto the first and the walls were crumbling, the floors tearing up and everything from the inside dumped on the front lawn. The windows were smashed out and the inside was empty, except for a group of shadows. He stopped, slipping behind a tree and casting secret glances across the desolate street. The moon was at its lowest point in the sky, casting a white glow across the empty house, as if marking it as its own. The voices sounded calm, yet scared. They wobbled, soothing words filled with terror. As he listened closer, Trae realized one of the voices was Luna's. He felt his blood run cold. What was she doing in there? He froze, unable to move as he saw her emerge. She was stunning in the light, wearing black gear with her brown locks spilling from her hood, tucked tightly around her face. His heart stopped again when he saw the blade tied to her waist. What had she gotten herself into?

The rest of their friends emerged from the house, all dressed similarly to Luna. Trae's mind started spinning as every possibility ran through his head but suddenly everything made sense. The reason why they would disappear for days on end, why they were always together, looking tired and disheveled. Why they were always so scared to open the door. Why they were pushing him away. Why Luna didn't seem to trust him anymore...

His eyes widened, and suddenly his heart seemed to burst in his chest. His face burned red and he collapsed to his knees. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Luna or to any of them. He wanted to be with her, be with them, to run to her now to see if she was okay, to make sure she wasn't hurt in any way, to make sure they were all safe. Thinking about how much stress and pressure was on her shoulders... on all of their shoulders...

He looked out from behind the tree once more, only to see them take off with their wings into the sky. He always knew Luna was an angel, and now he had proof.

His head continued to spin and he passed out in the grass with his board sliding from his grip and landing across his stomach.