The Runaways

Chapter Sixty - Final Option

Diane

As I walked through the familiar woods with a group of my followers by my side I could tell looking out from the inside of the deer skull on my face something was terribly wrong. Smoke clouds were becoming bigger and taller, and the destruction of trees and near by vegetation via burning or what seemed to be stepping directly onto the plant became more and more overwhelming as I approached my biggest allies, Victor and Vincent Calderón's camp. Though they are my strongest allies my alliance with the Twins is a shaky one. Petty territory disputes, illegal trading, robbery, usual neighboring gang issues. Frankly our alliance was only formed out of our power and history when we used to be good friends. Now it's just bitterness.

This was a rare event for me, having them sending out a messenger begging for our help. As me and my followers walking to his camp seeing more and more destruction as we walked. I could feel my stomach churn knowing this was an attack by the Syndicates. And the closer we got the worse it became. By the time we had reached camp what once was a ravine covered in lush vegiration and well built buildings became a barren crack in the earth covered in the ashes of trees and brush. Standing at the top of the ravine I could see the rumble at the bottom of the ravine. The once strong built buildings had now crumpled to the ground covered in ash and rock from large chunks of the ravine walls that had been blown out.

Seeing the massive holes in the walls of the ravine meant that the Syndicates now have their hands on a dangerously large scale explosives and seeing how they managed to attack such a large and powerful gang was not good news for anyone, and it certainly wasn't good news for me.

"Holy shit." Officer Caimen breathed as he lifted his mask to look at the damage, "Huntress, do you think it's a good idea to stay and help? This was obviously done by the Syndicates what if they're on our way over to us."

I stood there and thought for a second before turning to him, "I'll see what the twins want me to do, but I wouldn't plan on being here too soon. I got a bad feeling about this as well."

"Would you like me to send a messenger back to have camp on high guard?" Officer Caimen, a dark skinned African American man asked.

"Yes please that would be very much appreciated, make sure you have them tell camp that the syndicates now have large scale explosions and prepare to evacuate if worst comes to worst." I ordered. Caimen nodded and turned around into the the small crowd of my acolytes. When I turned back to face towards the now destroyed ravine I could see the twins approaching walking along the top on the burnt grass and the ashes of the trees.

"Took you long enough." Victor said in an exasperated tone.

"Apologies Victor I just can't put my entire life on hold at a moments notice." I retorted giving him the same angered energy he was giving me. As both brothers got closer I could understand the attitude. They were covered in soot and dried blood. They both looked tired and at their limit.

"Look Diane thank you for coming," Vincent said in a nicer tone, yet still monotone and angry, but then again the twins were never very bubbly people to begin with, "The Syndicates hit us bad."

"How many people are injured and dead?" I asked.

"We stopped counting the dead." Victor answered bluntly, "We don't even know who's dead, every body we have come across is either so severely burned it's unrecognizable, or the body is literally charred from head to toe."

"We had a lot of people trapped under rubble too. Right after it happened we managed to save a few but people loose there strength, there's probably just as many of not more trapped in rubble." Vincent explained in a more remorseful tone, "My estimate is probably almost a forty-percent mortality rate."