Finding ELE (ELE Series #2) Written By: Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels (26 page)

We find Connor, Claire, Candy and Jake in
the opposite corner talking amongst themselves. We make our way
towards them.

One of the adults has a clipboard in one
hand and a pen in the other. “My name is Chloe. If you’ll all form
a line so I can get all your names and information that would be
great.”

Alec and I take our place in the back of the
line waiting our turn. We end up giving Chloe our names and tell
her what gifts we possess. She takes a while to jot mine down, much
longer than anyone else. I feel a little embarrassed as people
stare at me with stunned expressions as I name one gift after
another. I make darn sure not to put down my reaper gift…if you can
even categorize it as such.

“
I’m sure you all are extremely tired.
It has been a long night. Thank you to everyone who helped get the
children to safety,” Chloe states. “I’m sure you all are wondering
what the plan is and to be quite honest we don’t really have one.
The only orders I was given was to get the children to the safe
house, which is here, and wait for further instructions.” Chloe
pauses looking around the room. “A few months ago some rations were
brought here along with clean water in case this facility had to be
used. They are in the large shed at the rear of the home. With as
many people as we have, I’m not sure how long the rations are going
to last so please, no wasting.”

We all nod our heads in agreement. My
stomach growls but I ignore it.

“
Now, if you all will find a place to
sleep near a child or two, we can all rest. I have a feeling
tomorrow is going to be another big day.” Chloe is the first to
leave. I walk across the room and bid my friends
goodnight.

Tony is standing near the door watching me.
I give Alec’s hand a squeeze and ask him to give me a few minutes.
He kisses me lightly on the cheek and leaves. I watch him walk out
of the room and then turn towards Tony. Most of the others have
gone now, only a few linger about.

Tony meets me halfway and gives me a small
smile. “You were great tonight.” He says.

I let out a small snort, not sure if he’s
being serious or not. “Sure, now that you know I’m part monster,” I
retort.

“
Willow,” Tony chastises. “You are not
some kind of monster. You took on one of the monsters. You didn’t
lose your mind like a true reaper would. You used it for good! You
can’t be so hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can with
the cards you were dealt.”

I let his words sink in. “Thank you, Tony.”
I tell him simply. “And thank you for protecting my secret. It
means a lot to me.”

He nods his head like a true soldier
would.

“
So, I guess I’ll see you in the
morning,” I tell him.

“
See you then,” he replies.

We part ways and I make my way back to the
nursery. Alec has made a small cot next to the crib.

I lay down on the pillow he placed for me
and nestle into his arms. I’m so thankful for his rock in the storm
attitude. It’s easy to lose it in situations like this. I rest my
head on his chest and he strokes my hair. I listen to his heartbeat
slow down until I know he’s fallen into a deep sleep.

I must wait for some time before I get up.
It’s just before dawn now as the moonlight is gone, replaced by a
very dim morning glow. I carefully move out of Alec’s arms. I take
time before I go to study him like this. He’s so peaceful right
now, looking years younger.

I stand up and take a peek at Sebastian.
“You’ll be okay little guy,” I whisper. “Take care of Alec for me.”
I give him a small kiss and watch as he rolls over.

Before we even left the compound I made the
promise to myself that I would make sure my parents were okay. I
knew no one would agree to it so I kept this information to myself.
Deep down I know I may be the only one who can help them and I’m
not going to let them down. I inch my way to the door making sure
not to wake Alec or Sebastian. I tip toe down the stairs and out
the front door.

There’s a guard walking around the perimeter
of the property and he almost sees me. I push my body against the
house and thankfully he doesn’t shine his light on me. I wait until
he walks to the side of the house before I take off in a run. I run
as fast as I can through the woods praying that I’m headed in the
right direction. My memory seems to be spot on as I round the
familiar places I saw just a few hours ago.

I stop at the top of the hill and take in my
surroundings. The view makes it easier for me to plan my assent.
After making a mental plan, I sit down on the ground and catch my
breath.

My stomach is growling so strongly now, I
can hear it over my heavy breathing. The sun is just starting to
peak over the mountaintop. I place my hand down on the ground and
get pricked by a plant. I put my finger in my mouth trying to
soothe it when I see that I’m sitting next to a blackberry bush.
Laughing at the irony, I take a few berries and pop them in my
mouth. This is just the thing I needed. More fuel for the fire that
is burning within me, keeping me going. After a few minutes the
berries have stained my hands a deep purple. I try and wipe them on
my pants, but to no avail.

I hear a rustling in the bushes behind me
and immediately hunker down. My heart rate doubles as I listen for
noises. The rustling happens again, closer this time. I’m about to
attack when I hear my name. Completely dumbfounded I rise up off
the ground and see Tony crouched down about twenty feet in front of
me.

I look into his eyes, which look angry as
heck, and know it would be useless to ask him what he’s doing here.
He’s doing his job. I finally get it. Tony is like a loyal puppy.
He’s never going to stop coming to help me. Not when he’s been told
his only directive is to protect me.

I pick off a few berries and offer them to
Tony. He comes over and his angry glare softens a touch as he
accepts them. “Out of all places you stop, you come across a
blackberry bush? Someone up there must be looking out for you.”

I give him a small laugh. “I guess you’re
right,”

He shakes his head and runs his hand through
his hair. The sun hits it in such a way that it shines like a
penny. "What are you doing Willow?" He sounds exasperated.

"I am going back for them." I cross my hands
over my chest and firm my stance. "I am going back for them and I
will not allow you to stop me. I will not leave them."

We stare at each other for several seconds.
The vision of Tony throwing me over his shoulder and taking me back
to the safe house runs through my mind. Luckily that doesn't
happen. Instead I see a strange sort of pride and relief display on
his face. "If you are going to do what you want to do no matter
what....And if I can't change your mind....Then we better get
moving. We're wasting time."

I let out the breath I had been holding. It
takes a lot to force myself not to say, 'really?' Instead I say,
"Let's do this."

We both start moving again in the direction
of the hotel. We stop every so often to listen to our surroundings.
When we near the tree line that borders the hotel, we pause to
survey the area. The land is completely silent, which is starkly
different than when we left.

We move closer to get a look at the back
door. A few bodies are lying cold on the ground, motionless. I
don't know if they are ours or the Reapers.

When we are certain that there is nobody
alive from as far as we can see, we begin moving silently towards
the hotel. I grab ahold of Tony's hand and turn us invisible just
in case. We walk through the open door and find more bodies in the
hallway. I turn and heave, throwing up the blackberries I just ate.
Tony rubs my back but remains alert as he tries to comfort me. The
smell is over whelming, the coppery stench of blood permeates the
air.

Knowing we need to get moving I tell myself
that these people are just sleeping. We walk through the downstairs
area, checking each room, looking for any sign of life. Dread fills
me each time I see a new body and I pray that they are not my mom
or dad.

We see a lot more lifeless red eyes than I
imagined we would. It looks like our people held their own well.
Feeling confident that there is nobody around that's alive, I let
go of Tony's hand and we both become visible again. "I think we
should split up, that would make our search quicker."

Tony shakes his head. "I don't like that
idea."

"We need to get moving now! If my parents
are here, if they are hurt, I can help them if I find them in
time." I yell at him.

He considers it for a second then reaches
into his back pocket. He hands me a pistol. "Use your powers and
get out if anything happens. Keep this ready for backup. Your
powers are more useful than any weapon, so be ready." He tells
me.

"Okay, I will call to you if I find anything
on the third floor." I tell him.

"Ditto." He confirms.

With that, we head up the first flight of
stairs. Tony and I separate as he heads down the hallway and I go
up another flight. There are fewer bodies up here. Most of the
doors are either open or have been kicked in. I turn invisible for
safe measures as I search room by room. I don't find my parents
anywhere.

At least fifteen minutes has past when I
head down the flight of stairs to find Tony again. He's been silent
as of yet and the anxiety of being separated from the only other
living thing in this building is starting to wear on me. I search
the rooms looking for him and find him in one of the rooms on the
far end of the hall.

"Tony?" I ask as I watch him hunched
over.

"He-elp...Th-eemmm." A male voice croaks
out. I hear one final labored breath and Tony's eyes turn to me.
They are rimmed with tears. I can't see the person that he is
hovering over and my heart bottoms out.

"Dad!" I cry as I run to Tony's side. I look
down at the man Tony is kneeling next to expecting to see the
lifeless eyes of my father. Guilt overruns me as the relief fills
my veins. I know I have no right to feel such relief when another
man has died, but I can't help feeling it. I let out a shaky breath
then I put my hand on Tony's shoulder.

He rises slowly and turns to me. Seeing the
pain in his eyes I pull him into my arms. He holds me tightly and
his hands clench at the fabric on my shirt. I feel a few tears soak
onto my shoulder before he pulls away.

"We have to go now." He tells me.

"Why? Did you know him?" I point to the man
who is one of ours.

Tony nods, "Yes. He was a great
fighter."

"If you had called me, I could have helped
him." I say softly, not wanting to make him feel worse.

Tony shakes his head, "No, he was near
death. We both knew it. Healing him would have taken everything out
of you for a while. We need to get to the mountain."

"Why?" My heart starts to race and panic
sets in. "My mom and dad? Are they there?"

He nods. "Yes, this attack was a decoy.
That's why there weren't as many Reapers around as there could have
been. Only a quarter of them attacked this place. The rest are at
the mountain. Your mom thinks they found a way to get inside. Along
with many other survivors, she went after them."

"Let's go!" We grab each other’s hand and
run out of the room and out of the hotel. Our energy is spent by
the time we make it anywhere near the mountain. I can see the top
of the peaks rising up from a mile away. That gives me the push to
keep on going.

A loud explosion rings off nearby and the
earth shakes. We run faster and another explosion sounds off. The
earth rumbles with it and I lose my footing. Tony scoops me off the
ground and we look around. Through the tree's I can see smoke
rising up in the distance.

"What the heck was that?" I ask out of
breath.

"Don't know!" Tony says looking in the
distance. We start running again and another explosion sounds. I
have no idea what is going on! It sounds as if a war is breaking
out and my stomach twists in response. My parents are out there,
not to mention the hundreds of innocent people outside and inside
that shelter right now.

When we near the clearing we hear the chaos
of screams, fighting and gunshots. We break out of the tree line
and another explosion goes off. I lose balance again and go down,
taking Tony with me. From the ground we both look up at the fiery
red balls of flames coming from different points around the
mountain. Thick charcoal smoke filters up to the sky. Fire seems to
be everywhere, engulfing the area in a deadly orange glow.

The sound of hundreds of people screaming
fills our ears as we watch them filter out of the shelter into the
sunlight. The Reapers pillage and our people fight off as best they
can. Chaos is everywhere. People run around crying and screaming
and soon the entire clearing is filled to the brim with people
fighting and trampling their way over others in their efforts to
escape this nightmare. The ones coming out of the shelter have no
idea what they've run into. They don't know who is bad and who is
good. Some of them try to fight our people, with the yellow eyes,
but they only get pushed away.

Tony helps me to my feet and I try to charge
into the mess but he holds me back. "We need to look for them
first, you can't see them out in the middle of that blood bath!" He
tells me.

I search the crowd frantically looking for
any sign of my mom and dad. There are too many people, which makes
it impossible. The scene laid out in front of me is so intensely
crazy that I can't even register everything that is happening.
People run past us into the trees. We watch them with their faces
filled with fear. Here and there, I can see the change of a
person's eyes. Nobody understands the abilities and some go
invisible, some run through others and some crumple to the floor
holding their hands to their ears. Of all of the new gifts to have,
hearing thoughts and feeling emotions has to be the most
debilitating in this situation.