Double Crossed

Broken Houses

We start to sneak away from the school, looking for a car and avoiding Hecate. There were a couple of times in our search where we had to hide because of Hecate. They are obviously looking for us and have figured out we left the school. It’s only five minutes before we find a parked car and pick the lock. The five of us all pile in the vehicle and Bonny hotwires it. Under normal circumstances I would feel bad for stealing someone’s car, but this is not a normal circumstance. I am literally being hunted by people who want to kill me, I have zero remorse for this act.

Now I’m sitting in the passenger seat of this small, beat up Saturn. Bonny’s driving, and Mel, Volant, Kim and Jacky squished in the backseat. It doesn’t sound too bad, right? Well it is, we are all soaking wet from the drenching rain that has been attacking the ground all morning and some of us are bleeding on the dried leather of the seats. So, all in all, the car is quickly smelling like blood mixed with a sweaty rain, kind of similar to wet dog. It’s not fun.

“What now?” Mel asks.

Sighing, I wipe the sweat from my forehead and look out the window, seriously hoping she’s not talking to me. I don’t say anything, I don’t want to respond to them. I keep going back to what I thought earlier, about just leaving. I keep telling myself it is just the pain of the bullet wound in my shoulder, the annoyance of having Hecate attack us at our school, putting the school in danger because of us, and the stress of having the lives of four other people in my hands. I didn’t know it was going to be like this, all the stress and responsibility wasn’t exactly in the job description.

But it never is.

“Erin?” someone says, I’m too caught up in my thoughts to notice who.

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted Zack more than I do right now. If he was here, they wouldn’t be looking to me for what do to, he would take care of it. He can handle it and he does it a lot better than I do. But it’s not long before the crashing truth comes down, Zack doesn’t want to be near me right now.

My eyes refuse to tear away from the world speeding by on the other side of the glass as I say, “We go back to CSIS. We aren’t even safe at school anymore and Mr. Mann’s not going to be happy,” I pause, debating on whether or not I should continue. Deciding against it I lean back in my chair, listening to the conversation I’ve started but not really paying attention. I get lost in my thoughts. I don’t know what to do anymore. Hecate is backing us into a corner, trapping us into things that will make us lose this war. I know it’s happening but I don’t know how to stop it. Hecate’s mole is really screwing us over, they know everything. I can’t even sleep in my own home with both eyes closed and feel safe.

After the quick conversation the others had about what I said, the car quickly feel into silence. Not even the complaints of people sitting on each other in the back seat were voiced. It seems as if they heard my own thoughts and are thinking about it themselves.

It feels like minutes pass when it’s actually about ten to fifteen and we are pulling up to CSIS. I’m so lost in my thoughts I don’t look up at first, I think everything’s normal until I hear Bonny’s voice. “Guys,” she starts. “You need to see this.”

I turn around to see what she means and am horrified by what I find. We have arrived at CSIS only to find it ablaze in fire and toxic chemicals and invaded with Hecate agents. The once fully stocked gym is now a pile of rubble on the ground and the main building is unrecognizable from the fire and explosions still emitting from it. The once luscious grass and flowers lining the grounds are nothing more than charred remains complete with bodies scattered around, both Hecate and CSIS agents alike.

I turn away from the gruesome sight, yet another realization entering my head. Looking at the bodies just now, it makes me realize that this is actually a war. It may not be a traditional battle with two opposing forces on opposite sides separated by no man’s land, but is a dangerous mission surrounded by government conspiracy, double agents, and secrets. I can only hope that the mole inside CSIS has been killed along with the real CSIS agents covering the grass. I feel a sickness rise in the pit of my stomach, that’s the first time I’ve wished death upon someone and I didn’t know I was capable of that. But I’ve done a lot of things I didn’t know I was capable of.