Beyond The Sea Blue Light

Can't Be One Hundred If You're Only Giving Ninety-Five

The sound of gunshots echoes across the yard, making me flinch. From the corner of my eye, I can see the three guards running over to the driveway, where Alex and Rian are crouching. Zack nods at us, fiddling with some remote in his hand.

"Cameras are off," he reports. "Go time."

I follow Gerard as we run across the yard, ducking into the shadow of the house. The guards are outnumbered, severely so. Hope rushes through me. We're going to do this. Gerard sneaks around the side of the house until we get to the back door. He tries the handle, but it must be bolted shut from the inside.

"Shit," Gerard sighs. "Stand back." I give him a confused look as he pulls out his gun. He flicks off the safety before shooting three rounds into the door. I flinch at the sound of them, covering my ears as Gerard steps forward, kicking the door down and walking into the house.

He holds the gun out in front of him as we climb up the steep set of stairs, entering the kitchen. In one glance around, he seems to determine what to do because he hands me the gun, closing his eyes.

"Who are you?" I nearly jump out of my skin, my hand tightening on the gun as a voice sounds from behind me. I spin around to see a boy around my age standing there.

"We're not here to hurt you," Gerard says, his voice soothing. He holds his hand out and the boy relaxes. "We're getting you out of here." The other two people emerge from around the corner, an older woman and man.

"What do you mean?" the man asks.

"We're getting you out of the country," Gerard says. He holds out to them several small blue booklets—passports, I realize. "Fake names, money, anything you need is in here." The woman reaches forward, eyeing Gerard carefully before taking them.

"Why are you doing this?" the woman asks.

"It doesn't matter," Gerard says, making a little motion with his hand. "You are going to be safe as soon as we get you out of here. You can never return here, do you understand?" The family hesitates, then nods.

"Thank you," Vic's mother says.

We help them get packed though there isn't much they need to do. There is a van waiting outside the house, probably the guards, that Gerard and I help them get loaded into.

"Good luck," Gerard says formerly.

"Thank you," Vic's father says. "Thank you for our freedom."

Gerard shakes his head. "It's the least we can do," he responds. He gives them a little bow before turning away. I move to follow him, but a voice stops me.

"Do I know you?" Vic's brother calls.

"No." I shake my head.

"Well, thanks," he responds. "Who are you?"

"Just a friend," I say.

"By any chance, do you know my brother?"

I hesitate, then nod. "Yeah," I say. The thought almost makes tears spring into my eyes, but I push them away.

"Is he okay?" he asks. "He's been gone for so long, and... well, is he doing okay?"

I take a deep breath. "Yes," I respond. He will be at least. As soon as I find him, he will be.

I watch as the boy slams the car door shut before the engine rumbles and the van drives off, spraying up a cloud of dust as it vanishes into the forest. At last, I let myself relax, a smile coming across my face. We did it. We can finally get Vic back.

I hurry across the yard after Gerard. Alex grins when he sees me, giving me a fist bump.

"We did it team!" he cheers.

Rian and Zack both smile, though the two of them look exhausted. "Yeah," Zack says. "Good work."

As the five of us turn to go, an explosion sounds across the yard, shrapnel bursting into the sky. All of us freeze, staring at it. My heart pounds in my chest, panic filling my lungs. That can't be right. What is going on?

"That couldn't have been the guards, right?" Rian asks, uncertainty creeping into his voice. "I thought we took them all out."

Gerard frowns, his eyes narrowing in concentration. Before any of us can stop him, he runs out into the yard, just as another boy rounds the corner.

For a moment, we all stand there, caught in a standstill as we eye each other. The boy is a bit older than me, with dark hair and light colored eyes as well. He's dressed in black jeans and a black vest, his short hair tousled. But what really catches my eye is the fact that his hands are glowing an orange-red.

His eyes shift over to where Alex is standing, his hand outstretched, the guns hovering in the air. Their eyes meet and they seem to come to some sort of agreement, because the glow fades from the boy's hands and the guns start to lower

Gerard seems to notice, holding his hands out. "Who are you?" he calls.

"I'm Andy," the boy says. "And I'd ask you the same thing, but it seems like I'm one of you."

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random question: anyone have any song/band recommendations or want any?