Little Dawn

Chapter 11

Their dry skin was burned, their lips brittle, and dark bags under their eyes made it evident they were exhausted. Aundrea and Alec were sitting on a wooden bank, their stare lost on the green grass beneath them. Their thoughts haunted them, their minds trying to find an explanation for whatever had happened to them.

As Casey and Dyron got closer and caught a glimpse of them, they suddenly knew something was off. Despite calling their names, no answer came back from their lips.

The medic announced to them that they were in a state of shock as he then continued examining Aundrea and her lost eyes.

Whatever they witnessed or went through must have been something terrible, Casey thought to herself.
Panic started making its way through her body as she didn't see Flint with them.

"Where's the other boy?" Casey stretched her arm and touched the medic's shoulder. Without looking at her, his answer came almost like a murmur, "Surgery."

They spent hours waiting for answers, but they weren't a priority for the surgeon or the doctor attending their friends, so none of their doubts were being answered.

Dyron desperately moved from side to side, his eyes focused on the ground he walked on. Memories from three days ago occupied his attention and with furrowed brows, he overthought them. 

He was trying to recall what exactly had happened, his instant reaction was to run towards Casey when none of his friends were in sight.

Six hours later, Evan approached them. His face features relaxed and even a small smirk appeared on his lips as he explained that Flint was okay.

"He had a serious injury on his leg, he ran out of blood quickly, so the surgeon had to act rapidly," Evan stretched his arms and patted Dyron's and Casey's shoulders.

They followed Evan through tents, took turns, and arrived at the red canvas, where Aundrea and Alec waited. As soon as they both saw Casey and Dyron approaching they stood up, holding their gazes on them.

Without exchanging words, Casey opened her arms and embraced Aundrea in a tight hug. They stood frozen for a while, Aundrea's tall frame towering over the smaller one from Casey. Casey wanted her to know that they were safe now and that anything that was ever done to her would be avenged.

"We need to talk," she whispered to Casey's ear, low enough for no one to hear but herself. As soon as the hug ended Evan gave them clean clothes and announced an extra cot would be placed on each of their tents, with the purpose to harbor Aundrea and Alec, while Flint recovered from his injury. Evan grinned at them, his mouth a curved thin line, and announced that the evening was free for them to explore the place and catch up with what had happened.

Luckily, Evan was smart and kind enough not to ask about the events of a few days ago, letting them keep their thoughts to themselves and the ones they trusted more. 

Aundrea followed Casey, who had indicated she should have a snack and then a bath before a long sleep. Her eyes pierced Casey's back, while her thoughts were trying to put into words the best way to say what Casey desperately needed to know. 

When they arrived the promised cot was already in the tent, a clean pillow and a thin sheet laid upon it. Aundrea extended the sheet and sat on the cot, facing Casey, who was sitting on her couch, lost in thought. 

"Casey," Aundrea's low whisper caught Casey's attention. Her brown eyes were now looking at hers and before debating how to say it out loud, Andrea blurted the truth she was desperate to tell. 

"Your dad, he was there. H-he set us free before-," Aundrea stopped abruptly, she was breathless and her eyes were suddenly filled with tears. Casey's were furrowed, an instant void filling her stomach, making her breathless as well. She couldn't mutter anything, her body was completely still as if it moving will prevent from Aundrea telling her the rest. 

"He was shot in front of our eyes, Casey. I'm s-sorry, I-I couldn't help him," Aundrea gulped even though her mouth was completely dry. She stared as Casey slowly stood up, taking steps closer to her, her arms hugging her own shaking body. 

"T-that is not possible," she uttered with a strangled voice. Her chest was heaving up and down rapidly, as she was fighting for air to get to her lungs. Her eyes were a hopeless sparkling stare. She felt as if she was about to throw up and faint at the same time.  Before Aundrea could react, Casey's legs went limp and her knees landed on the floor. 

A rowdy wail left the mouth of the broken golden girl when her body touched the ground. Uncontrollable sobs filled her surroundings as the idea of her father gone tortured her thoughts. She felt the weight of his life on her shoulders, the unspoken words she could no longer tell to him drifted away with the hope of never seeing him again. 

Aundrea crouched in front of her, wrapping her arms around the fragile body of the girl she has heard countless legends of. 

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Alec was also sitting on his cot, talking with Dyron about what he could recall of the past events. Before they could run off away from the Cold-blooded the Saints surrounded all of them.  An electric shock hit them all at once, tumbling them to the ground and unable to move. The Saints picked them up roughly and threw them in a white truck. They traveled in darkness and nothing from outside could be seen. 

"I didn't realize you weren't with us until we arrived at the white construction. Everything was strangely white, Dyron." He spoke, his stare on the ground.

He remembered the shivering scream he heard as he set foot on the architecture. He was sure they were torturing someone in there as the screams continued to echo between the white walls. Alec detailed that once inside, the hallways seemed infinite, they took turns and another after the last one. 

"It was a maze, and I can't guess how much time we spent walking. I think it was a strategy for us to get confused," he stopped for a brief moment, "anyway, that's when we saw Peter, Casey's dad," he stopped to watch Dyron's reaction, which indeed was one full of surprise. A curse slipped out of his mouth. 

"Somehow, he had managed to get the 'classified information' from who knows where and he knew his daughter was being persecuted... and the craziest shit about all is that he knew we were with her. He told us he was Peter, Casey's fucking dad. We couldn't believe it." His thoughts wandered away for a few seconds, "They tortured everyone, our people, in front of us. They were trying to get information about her, her whereabouts, something, they were desperate to know something... What I can't seem to understand is how the fuck they know who she is, but didn't know her father was working inside," he exhaled deeply and a trembling hand reached out for his hair.

"I was sick of hearing their screams, the scent of their blood, and feeling the splattering of their insides on my whole fucking body," Alec whispered with furrowed brows, hurt and disgust evident in his tone. 

"The next night I was sure we were going to die. Flint was next. His desperate screams and pleas made me crazy man," his eyes got full of tears as he spoke, "that's when we heard the gunshot. Peter had killed the two men. The next thing I know is that I was carrying an unconscious Flint and Aundrea was leading the way outside that hell," there was a long pause, then a sigh, "Peter was shot, three times, before he could get out with us." Once the tears were out, they crawled down his cheek.  

As the last words reached Dyron's ears he felt a painful tug in his chest, then her agonizing wail came and his feet were running towards his golden girl.

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Thanks, and have a good one :)