Time is Running Out

Chapter 18

Rachel looked at herself. Nothing to defend herself except her bare hands. Joy was in the same situation.

No weapons.

What could they do against heavily armed guards?!

But Xana, Alden, Mary and their followers drew out daggers and penknives and heavy stones and slingshots and sharp rocks.

Alden tossed a dagger at Joy and Xana threw Rachel another dagger. The two looked at their weapons uncertainly.

"Whatcha waitin' for? Fight!" Xana growled as she plunged her dagger into a guard's heart.

Joy and Rachel shrank away at the sight of the horrifying blood.

A blood-stained guard rose behind them.

"BEHIND YOU!" Alden screamed.

Joy swung around and waved her dagger around wildly.

"ARRRGGGHHH!"the fallen guards shrieked.

Rachel stared, open-mouthed, at Joy.

"I think... I think you just killed eleven guards, Joy," Rachel mumbled.

Joy retched.

"Ughhhhhh," she groaned.

"Stop--" snarled Alden, "retching! You"-- he killed a guard-- "may feel"-- he stabbed another guard-- "sympathy"-- he yelped as he was stabbed -- "toward them"-- he stabbed a guard to death-- "but"-- he ran backwards and charged forwards again-- "they"-- he made a guard blind-- "certainly"-- he killed again-- "DON'T!"

Just then, Alden fainted from loss of blood. Mary grabbed and moved Alden out of the war zone. Then shells defended him from the guards. Without Alden and Mary fighting, they were losing advantage. The remaining guards started to corner Rachel, Joy and Xana.

Emma and Gemma ran and ran to Ayr, Mayrs' and Squares, 375 Haquin Street. As they ran past a parked car, Emma looked in the rear view mirror of the car and saw their persuiter.

She gasped.

"What is it? Is it your leg?" Gemma panted.

"No, pretend to tie your shoelace and look in the rear view mirror!" Emma hissed.

Gemma followed her instructions.

She gasped too.

"We have to lose him," Gemma breathed.

Emma nodded.

"We keep running first, so he doesn't know we see him," Emma whispered. "I have a plan."

As Joy, Rachel and Xana backed away, Rachel spotted Emma racing towards them out of the corner of her eye.

Wasn't her leg twisted?!

Rachel hissed to Joy, "Look-- left."

Joy looked. "What is she doing here?!" she whispered in horror.

"I don't know, but 'e can't let the guards see 'er," Xana muttered.

The others nodded.

"I'll try to sneak over. Cover for me," Joy whispered.

"Got it," Rachel hissed back.

"Hey, d'ye really want ta kill us?" Xana asked the guards.

"Are you stupid? Of course we do!" A guard got distracted and fell for the trick.

Alden heard their whispering earlier. He had woken up but the guards only realized now. They quickly rounded him into the circle they had cornered.

"Don't you have a family at home, waiting for you?" Alden cried as he stumbled towards the others. "How do you think they'd feel if you didn't go home? I've got my wife here, but what about these children?" He threw open one of Miria's follower's hood.

"How old is she? Nine? Ten?" Alden continued. "Would you really be fine with killing her? She's only an innocent child with a whole family at home. We don't want to kill any of you either, and we've only killed some of you because you pose a threat to us. Just let us go in peace, guards. Please..."

The guards were all moved to tears.

"He only wants peace..." a guard whispered to another.

As the guards' tears fell, Rachel hissed to Joy, "now!"

Joy crept to Emma.

"Psst! Em!" Joy whispered.

She boggled at her friend-- Emma, for some reason, had a very deadly sword that was about two metres long.

"You know I'm here?" Emma hissed.

"Well of course I do! So d'you have a plan? Cos we have none," Joy replied in a whisper. "And I thought you hurt your leg. Where is Gemma."

"She... well, it's a long story. And... I... don't have a plan. I thought I'd just... er, help?" Emma mumbled.

"If you are here to help, then you should have a plan! You are the 'smart one'!" Joy cried in disappointment and sarcasm. "Please come up with one!

"Um..." muttered Emma, thinking.

"Come on, Emma!" encouraged Joy.

"Fine. I got it," said Emma, standing up behind the guards.

"Got what?" hissed Joy.

Without warning, Emma rammed the deadly sword through all of the guards. They all fell, cut in half each.

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Rachel, Joy, Alden, Mary, Xana and her followers shrieked.

"Come on!" said Emma, running.

She, Joy and Rachel led the others out into the sunshine. Immediately, the girl that Alden had thrown the hood off turned to him.

"ALDEN!! I AM NOT NINE! I AM NINETEEN! HOW DARE YOU SAY I AM TEN? AND I AM AN ORPHAN! I HAVE NO FAMILY AT ALL, YOU IDIOT!" she snarled.

"Uhm..." Alden mumbled, squealing as she ran after him with her dagger raised.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Anyhow, we have a flight to catch and a friend to meet－"

"Um... we don't," interrupted Emma nervously.

"What?" asked Rachel.

Emma told the others about what had happened.

Joy swore.

"HEY!" Emma and Rachel shouted.

"Um," Joy said meekly.

They split up to look for Gemma. Emma, Rachel and Joy were in separate teams because they had electronic watches and could call each other. The others divided into their teams.

"Good luck, guys," said Emma solemnly.

"You too," Rachel replied grimly.

Joy burst into laughter.

"WHAT IS SO FUNNY? THIS IS NOT A LAUGHING MATTER!"

Rachel and Emma turned on Joy.

"N-no need to be so s-solemn," Joy giggled.

Emma and Rachel sighed.

They separated.

Emma sighed again doubtfully. At least we didn't say goodbye in tears. That may have been our last time together and I don't want our last memory with each other crying.