AJ stares up above him as the second cyclist flies closely up to him. His vision was getting blurry, but he could feel the pull of the rope as the cycle towing him began to pick up speed swinging him above the ground now. He could hear the gun shot go off though and squeezed his eyes shut tightly as the feeling of the rope around his neck gets loser and for a second he is almost floating in mid air before the person on the second motorcycle flies up and grabs him around his waist before he hits the ground. He could hear the roar of the engine as the motorcycle turns around and heads back in the opposite direction back towards the building. A strong arm held onto him as the wind rushed by him as they flew over the blacktop of the streets. He felt the cycle take a sharp turn right though as they headed off away from the building as the sound of sirens filled his ears.
“Hold on ok,” the voice from under the helmet says, “Don’t close your eyes. Under no circumstances close your eyes.”
AJ nods his head barley as the pain in his neck ensues. The sirens started to get closer though now.
“Shit,” the driver mumbles, “Hold on,” he says tightening his grip around AJ as the cycle starts to climb to its top speed.
AJ could feel the wind rushing by so fast now that it stung his ears and face. The cycle was climbing in speed as it zipped around corners and down alleyways. AJ felt the lower part of his legs being thrown around like a rag dolls as they turned corners sharply. Finally though he could feel the cycle take a sharp descent downward and the hum of the engine was increased as they entered an enclosed area. By now though the sirens had faded and the cycle started to slow down again taking the turns at a smoother pace now before coming to a complete stop.
“Alright last stop,” the driver says hoping off the cycle and throwing AJ over one of his shoulders as he begins to walk down a small hallway, “Yo anyone home!” he yells loudly.
“Stanton?” a voice yells back.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I got a casualty here with me though,” he says in a normal voice now as they enter a more lighted area.
“Ah shit how did I know?” another voice says as AJ is put down on a couch.
AJ blinks a few times adjusting his eyesight and he sees two pairs of green florescent eyes staring down at him, “Ah hell,” he mutters, “the Rooks.”
“Hey be grateful,” one says, “I saved your ass.”
“Like so many other times before that,” AJ says, “Thanks Stanton,” he says as someone else pulls the rope off his neck gently.”
“Fucking ropes now,” the other mutters, “Dragging us like animals.”
“Where’s Jordan?” Stanton asks his brother.
“ I dunno. You’re the first to come back.”
“Jesus then I gotta go back out there Xander,” Stanton says.
“No, it’s not safe,” Xander says, “Don’t worry bout them they can handle themselves. Besides Jordan and Nate are the ones who have Kevin and his cousin. They probably took the long road home.”
“What about Cole and Owen?”
“They’ll be fine, Stanton. Just because you’re the oldest doesn’t mean you have to be paranoid all the damn time.”
“Hello dieing here,” AJ chimes in.
“You ok AJ?” Stanton asks.
“Do I look ok?”
“No,” Xander says, “Jesus I’ll go get some bandages for your neck. Whatever you do don’t bend it.”
“Thank you captain obvious,” AJ says as Xander walks away from them.
“He means well,” Stanton says sitting on the floor in front of AJ.
Stanton looked exactly like his younger brother Jordan except that Stanton was bigger…more built. They all looked the same all six of them. They were all one year apart from each other too. Jordan was 21. Owen was 22. Cole was 23. Nate was 24. Xander was 25. Finally Stanton was 26. All with bright green florescent eyes too.
“Humans huh?” AJ says to Stanton.
Stanton nods solemnly, “We didn’t even see it coming either,” he sighs shaking his head.
“It hurts to breath,” AJ says.
“Xander will fix you up. I got a bad feeling AJ.”
“Bout what?”
“I dunno. I just have a bad feeling.”
Nick looks around the room pushing his way back towards the center as people ram into him trying to get out. Yeah he would be the one to fight the current. He looks above himself as the cycles fly over the crowd swooping down once and a while picking up people. He looks over to his right again as he sees the cycle he was looking for. The one that was throwing around the girl with green eyes like a rag doll into the air. Finally he spotted it hovering above the far wall. By now though the girl looked like a rag doll. No doubt that she had been knocked unconscious from being thrown around so much.
“Cops!” he hears someone yell above him and the riders along with their cyclists take off back out of the building dropping whoever they had.
Nick looks around franticly before running over to the girl and picking her up over his shoulder. He hears the siren echoing overhead before he takes off out the back exit into the alleyway. He takes off down the alley trying to keep the girl balanced over his shoulder.
“Stop right there!” he hears a voice yell from behind him as a cop car pulls up next to him and he stops suddenly, “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” a cop asks sticking his head out the window.
“I…I need to get her to a hospital,” Nick says to the officer, “They…the…the Halflings they did something to her.”
The cop stares at him then at the girl before nodding, “Get in the car I’ll take you there.”
“No…no I’ll be fine,” Nick stumbles over his words.
“Nonsense get in,” the cop says opening the back door as Nick stares it.
“Alright,” Nick says approaching the car hesitantly and putting the girl in gently before climbing in himself.
“Yeah I’m heading over to the hospital. We got a kid here with a girl. Looks like she is knocked unconscious. I’ll drop them off then head back over here,” the cop says into a small radio before shutting the door with a push of a button, “What’s her name?”
“Huh?” Nick says.
“What’s her name?”
“Uh Jean,” Nick says.
“Well talk to her keep her conscience,” the cop says.
“Ok,” Nick says, “Jean. Jean stay awake,” he says out loud before bending over to her ear, “Whatever you do don’t open your eyes,” he says to her softly.
Nick looks out the window as the city rushes by. The hospital came too fast though and before he knew it the car had stopped and the door had opened.
“We need a stretcher,” the cop yells as Nick gets out of the car and picks up the girl again.
“Shit,” Nick mutters to himself. Nick knew the customs of this hospital. Places that were designated for humans had a scanner that they waved over everyone’s face that brought out the florescence in a Halflings eyes no matter if they had glasses on, contacts or their eyes were shut. He looks around for a few seconds before taking off back down an alleyway. That’s all he needed was to be arrested for helping one of them. He ducks behind a dumpster and holds his hand over her closed eyes holding his breath. Just keep going. Please keep going.
He closes his eyes and opens them again minutes later before finally standing again. He picks the girl back up before sighing loudly. He looks down at her and looks back up into the darkness. She needed help. His mother would help her. She’d have to. She’d have to do something at least, he thinks as he walks down the street towards his apartment.
“Shit,” Jordan hisses to himself before backing his motor cycle up into an alleyway and shutting off the engine as another cop car passes by, “It’s too risky to try and get home,” Jordan says into a microphone in his helmet.
“Where do we go then?” Nate asks and his voice comes through speakers in the other’s helmets.
“I don’t know,” Jordan says, “Why the hell are they all out tonight?”
“Looking for me,” Kevin says.
“Probably,” Nate says, “We need to get back though. Stanton is probably flipping a shit right now.”
“Then we need to go all out,” Jordan says.
“We gotta risk it,” Nate says, “The sun is coming up now. We’ll have no cover once it’s gone.”
“Alright,” Jordan says starting his engine up again along with Nate.
“Hold on,” Nate says to Brian, “This is gonna be one hell of a ride.”
Jordan floors his gas pedal as Nate does the same and both cycles shoot out of the alley way and down the street. Nate takes the lead quickly and his brother falls in behind him darting in and out of streets quickly.
“They’re on my ass Nate,” Jordan yells into the microphone as cop cars appear around one corner and begin to gain on them, “I’m not gonna be able to shake them.”
“Shift,” Nate yells.
“I can’t. I’m running low on gas as it is,” Jordan says as he turns his head around quickly to look at the cop cars behind him, “They’re closing in on me.”
“Get him outta here,” Nate says.
“What are you gonna do?” Jordan asks.
“Just get outta here. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“No chance,” Jordan says.
“He’ll be fine,” Kevin says to Nate, “Just let him go.”
“What the hell is that?” Brian asks looking up at the sun.
“Jesus Christ,” Nate says, “TURN AROUND. TURN AROUND!” he yells as he spins his cycle in a sharp turn and Jordan does the same. He takes off down the road with Jordan behind him as the cop cars start to spin out of control.
“Pull up. Pull up,” Kevin yells at Jordan who banks hard to the right as a cop car goes spinning by him into a wall.
“What the hell is going on?” Nate yells.
“Just get us home,” Jordan says to him as the third car spins into a wall and explodes behind them.
“What are they fucking kamikazes,” Nate yells as they continue to fly down the street.
“No,” Kevin says, “Something much worse.”
Nate looks over at him from his motorcycle before shaking his head, “Let’s get home Jordan.”
“Mom!” Nick yells walking into his apartment, “Mom, I need help! Hurry…Mom?” Nick says putting the girl down on the couch and beginning to walk through the apartment, “It’s fucking four in the morning where the hell are you?” he mumbles to himself, “MOM!” he yells one last time before walking into the living room again.
“JAXS!” the girl yells suddenly sitting up straight as her large green eyes look around the room, “Who the hell are you?” she asks Nick.
“Who the hell are you?” Nick asks her.
“Where am I?”
“Safe.”
“Where’s Jaxs?”
“Who?”
“Where is everyone?”
“Gone…ran away.”
“Who are you?”
“Nick. Who are you?”
“Pilar. Why am I here?”
“Some guys decided to throw you around a bit then left you. I decided Id take you out of that building and get you fixed up. There were police there and shit too.”
“I need to find Jaxs,” she says standing up quickly.
“Not so fast there,” Nick says running over and catching her before she falls over.
“No you don’t understand,” she says.
“What don’t I understand?”
“I need to find him. We need to be together.”
“You’ll find him later. You can call him if you want.”
“NO you don’t understand. I can’t loose him. I’m…” she says but stops suddenly as an older women stumbles into the room.
“Mom?” Nick asks staring at her, “Are you ok?”
“Nick?” she makes out before falling over onto the floor.
“MOM!”
“Don’t touch her,” Pilar yells grabbing his arm and holding him back as he stares at his mom on the floor as her body slowly begins to deteriorate.
“WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? MOM! MOM!” Nick yells.
Pilar stares at her before looking at the ground and looking over at Nick who is wobbling.
“Fuck,” Nick says before falling over and passing out.
“Stanton!” Nate yells pulling his motorcycle up to the other four that are already there along with Jordan, “Stanton!” he yells as his helmet folds back into the two discs hanging on either of his ears.
“God you guys are safe,” Stanton says walking up.
“There is shit going on out there,” Nate says pointing in the way of the exit.
Jordan stares at him as he pulls the two discs off his ears and takes Brian’s and Kevin’s from them.
“There is fucking cops running into walls after us,” Nate says.
Stanton stares at him as Brian looks around at all of them.
“The cops have lost their minds…”
“There are no more cops,” Kevin says.
“What?” Nate says looking at him green eyes glowing brightly.
“There are no more cops,” Kevin says, “Unless they’re young.”
“What are you talking about?” Brian asks him.
“Everyone out there who isn’t between the ages of fourteen and thirty is dead. Gone.”
“You’re fucking insane,” Nate says to him, “He’s fucking insane.”
“Go look if you want,” Kevin says, “It’s no gonna be a pretty sight.”
“And why exactly would this happen?” Stanton asks him.
Kevin shrugs, “I only know so much.”
“And how do you know this?” Nate asks.
“A friend,” Kevin says, “He lives in London now though.”
“Fucking insane,” Nate says pointing to Kevin before walking off.
“You felt it didn’t you Stanton?” Kevin says to him, “You felt something was wrong.”
Stanton stares at him.
“Don’t listen to him Stan,” Nate says to him.
“You felt it in your gut,” Kevin says, “A lot of people felt it like you. You’re brother felt it,” he says looking at Jordan, “Another one did too. The one with the scare on his chest.”
“Cole,” Stanton says softly.
“Don’t listen to him STAN,” Nate yells.
“Brian you felt it,” Kevin says looking at him, “In your stomach you felt it?”
Brian nods, “Not pain, but something was upset.”
Kevin nods.
“Who the hell are you?” Jordan asks him.
“Where’s the one that read Latin?” Kevin asks.
“None of us can read Latin,” Jordan says.
“One of you has to be able to read Latin,” Kevin says getting nervous.
Stanton shakes his head no.
“What about Latin?” AJ asks walking in bandages around his neck, “I took six years of it.”
Kevin nods calming down, “Good.”
“Wait will someone please explain this to me,” Brian says.
Kevin looks at Brian and smiles, “Don’t worry you’ll be safe with me.”
“Who is he?” a voice asks.
“His name is Nick,” a female voice says, “He saved me.”
“How can we trust him?” another male voice asks.
“I just know we can. I can feel it,” the female voice says.
Nick’s eyes flutter open and he stares into Pilar’s green eyes.
“You ok?” Pilar asks him.
Nick shakes his head no.
“This is Jaxs,” she says motioning to a tall lanky brunette with plain brown eyes beside her, “and this is Eli,” she says motioning to another young male beside her with bright green eyes.
“What the hell is going on?” Nick asks.
“It has begun,” Pilar says.
“What has begun?”
“The revolution.”
A pair of dark blue eyes turn to the sky and sigh as they look back down at the ground. A long arm reaches up and swipes a hand through a mess of curls. The sound of the ocean crashing against rocks is heard in the back round as the young man pulls a black cloak around himself.
“You know what you are to do?” a voice asks him through a French accent.
“Yes,” the young male responds.
“Good, go then,” the older male says as the younger male turns around and walks toward the door in the room, “Justin…don’t let us down,” he says as the young male turns around to look at him briefly.
Justin nods at him before turning back around and walking out of the room. He knew his mission…to stop the prophet at whatever costs.
JC stares out his window onto the streets of Israel before shrinking back again. Yeah wonderful idea mom send me to Israel for the summer, he thinks. The crowd of hooded young adults run by the window again and he quickly steps away from it back into the recesses of the house. They had been setting fire to houses the whole morning and chaos had ensued in the streets when the all the adults suddenly vanished. He woke up at four in the morning as a bus plodded straight into the house across the street. The driver had vanished and the bus was left on a collision course for the nearest house.
“Check that one,” a young girl says walking over towards JC’s house.
“Shit,” JC mutters as another girl with flashing purple eyes under a black cloak begins to walk towards his house torch in hand, “Fuck fuck,” he says to himself as he runs through his house and down into the basement falling down the last two. He gets up quickly and sees what he is looking for resting on a counter. He runs over and grabs the paper scroll before running towards the back of the basement and kicking open the metal cellar door that led into the backyard.
He turns around and looks at his uncle’s house before taking the scroll and stuffing it into the waistband of his pants. He takes one last look at the house before turning back around and sprinting down the street. Chaos had ensued on the streets completely now. Kids were running around in a mixture of fear and newfound freedom. Fires were breaking through windows of numerous houses and every once and a while he would pass a young person walking around dressed in a black cloak. Cars and motorcycles were flying past him on either side driving madly towards someplace. He needed to get out of here. It couldn’t be like this everywhere. There had to be some humanity somewhere. He needed to get back home. He needed to get back to New York fast.
“What now?” a young boy asks an older boy who is standing near a window dressed in a similar black cloak and gazing down at the streets below him.
“We wait,” the older boy says as his bright green florescent eyes stare out the window.
“Lance we can’t just wait for it to come to us.”
“I SAID… we wait,” Lance says not taking his eyes off the streets of London as a fire breaks out as car crashes into a building and explodes, “You know you’re orders.”
“Alright,” the young boy says.
“They don’t even know what they are facing yet…we have time. The prophet hasn’t even set out for the west yet. They’re all separated now. There is plenty of time to stop it all.”
“What if they find each other faster then we expected though?”
“They won’t,” Lance says calmly, “The leader doesn’t even realize who he is yet. Find me the false prophet.”
“We don’t know who he is yet sir. Our man from France has just been sent out to stop the real prophet.”
Lance nods, “We need to go to America.”
The young boy nods.
“Get a ship.”
“Yes sir.”
“Now.”
