The Island

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

~Kirklyn~

"I don't know why I broke down last night, sorry about that," I said, even though I knew exactly why I did. Tillie's pj's short sleeves showed the scar down her arm and she tucked her hair behind her ear, showing the scars on her face.

"It's fine. I'm glad you told me." Tillie said, scooping some sausages and eggs onto two plates for us. "You don't know what it means to me that you use Olivia's real name rather than her birth name."

"Olivia wasn't her birth name?"

"She was trans." She said taking a bite of sausage.

"Oh," I said, that explained why she'd been so shocked when I asked if she wanted to go out with me. I started to eat my breakfast, shifting the eggs around my plate as we ate in silence. Tillie cleaned up her dishes and brushed her teeth, filling the sink and holding her stomach as she watched the water run.

"What's wrong?" I asked, placing my fork down on the table and walking over to her, turning off the water

"Yesterday when I-" An alarm blared through the halls, interrupting her as John's voice echoed "Code Red, North Quarter, All units respond immediately to the garage."

"We have to go," I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the door

"But our armour"

"We have spares in the garage."

When I said that she shook off my grip and sprinted to the garage. And when she came out of the change rooms with Hanna and Tina behind her, I saw that hellfire in her eyes again. She and the twins were handed shields and swords, but Tillie requested a bow from John instead.

"They won't know what hit them," Tina said with a knowing smile as the girls hopped onto motorcycles. I had never seen Tillie use a bow, but Tina's smile said enough. 

Then Zain walked in, the room instantly dropping in temperature. His armour was silver and made for wings. His helmet hid most of his face, except for his eyes, which were glazed over, his wings bigger than I'd ever seen them. He just walked to the front of the garage, jammed the button for the door, and flew off. 

"Typical" I heard Hanna mutter, "He's always had a flair for dramatics" 

A mechanic gave each person on the bikes an earpiece and a helmet. Tina and Hanna were on a bike together, and I hopped behind Tillie on her bike. We drove off, everyone else following Tina as she drove, 

"Alright everyone," Her voice came from the earpiece "I know none have you have killed, or even held a weapon, but the serum reprogrammed your brains, so it should feel like riding a bike." She paused as she let the information settle "The North Quarter is full of bakers, artists, chefs, and similar people. They are defenceless. The enemy knows this." We approached the smoke, and ice coated the streets "Tillie, Kirklyn, Hanna, you're with me. Zain may have lost control." 

As we drove near an overpass, Tillie rolled off the bike, drawing her bow as she landed.

 "A little warning next time would be nice," I shouted into the coms, scrambling to get a grip on the handles. 

"Sorry" She muttered, as I looped around to get her back. "There was an enemy soldier aiming at your head." 

We reached the place where the soldiers had gotten in, and Zain was in the thick of it. Soldiers were pointing sharp swords and arrows at him as he panted on the ground, surrounded by a ring of fire. The soldiers heard our bikes roaring down the street, and Tillie tapped my shoulder to get me to stop the bike, while Tina and the others kept driving toward the soldiers and Zain. I drove into an alleyway, only to find a group of people huddled in the back. Tillie hopped off, and someone who recognized her stepped forward

"Tillie?" the person said

"Max? What are you doing here?"

"My sister bakes, and my boyfriend and I help out"

"Is Charlie still ok?"

"Bleeding profusely and refusing to stay still."

They chuckled together as Tillie looked around.

"I need to get to the roof, is there a fire escape nearby?"

Everyone parted to reveal a metal staircase that climbed up the brick wall. I finally got off the bike and followed her up to the fire escape, but someone clutched my shoulder.

"I know what you did for Olivia, but if you hurt Tillie, I will kill you," a boy said, he was covered in so much blood I was surprised he was still alive, I realized it was Charlie. I made it to the roof just as she knelt down and knocked her arrow. The rest of the group approached the soldiers, and the leader stalked up.