The RUSH
Chapter 4
Lycus protectively stepped in front of me and the Domination Officer who spoke to us started to laugh.
“Well you’ve obliviously developed some feelings for Adriana, haven’t you Lycus?” The Officer said.
Lycus’s body tensed.
The Officer laughed again. “That’s good,” he said. “Then we can see how protective of her you really are.” In one swift move, the Officer reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. Lycus ran forward and jumped on the Officer. In the middle of his jump, Lycus shifted, turning into the Moonlight Liger.
The Officer began firing the gun at Lycus while he jumped. Suddenly, Lycus fell and rolled to the side still in the form of a Liger.
“Lycus!” I screamed running towards him.
“Don’t move or you’re dead,” the Officer said. I froze. The Officer then began to move towards me taking slow even steps. He still held his gun straight and it was targeted on me.
“Your mother was very helpful in finding you,” he whispered in my ear once he reached me. My eyes grew wide with fear.
“What are you talking about?” I asked quietly. Next to me, Lycus moved and growled softly. I exhaled.
At least he isn’t dead, I thought to myself.
The Officer grabbed my arm but I pushed him off quickly. Backing away from the Officer, I said, “Don’t touch me!”
The Officer moved towards me grabbing my arm again, his grip tighter than the first time. As I screamed and punched him with my hand that wasn’t being held, every time I did so, his grip grew tighter and tighter, soon cutting off the circulation to my hand.
“Let go!” I yelled trying to pull my arm free. I felt something against my ribs and I didn’t need to look down to know what was there. The Officer shifted the gun a little bit so it was now over my hip.
“What did you mean my mother was helpful?” I asked the Officer again.
“Well, exactly what I said. Your mother was very helpful in finding you,” he repeated himself.
From the side of the cave, Sheila was trying to say something but I couldn’t tell what she was saying because of the gag in her mouth. The Domination Officer standing over her hit her in the back of her head and she fell over with a thud, next to Carmi.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
“We want the four of you. You see there are only one or two others like you and we could sure use your rare powers on our side of the Domination,” the Officer explained. “So you’re coming with us.” He grabbed my hands and held them behind my back with one hand while he held the gun at my side with the other hand.
“Nick, Dylan, grab the other two and the boy and let’s go,” the Officer said from behind me.
“Have you seen the boy? He weighs almost 400 pounds!” One of the Officers complained.
“Dylan! Shut your mouth and just do it!” The lead Officer said.
The Officer named Dylan, closed his mouth and took a step back behind Sheila.
“Now hurry up. The truck—” the Officer from behind me stopped talking. I turned around to see Lycus on top of him. There was a grunt from the other side of the campsite and in the light of the fire around us, I saw Sheila standing over Dylan with a dagger in her hand. She bent over and returned the dagger back into her boot. Then she untied the gag from around her mouth and dropped it to the ground.
Nick began running away but Lycus was sprinting after him, chasing him through the woods. I ran over to Carmi and gently shook her shoulder.
“Carmi,” I said shaking her gently. She stirred a bit but didn’t fully wake up.
The Officer that Lycus had knocked down was up again and he was just getting off of the phone.
A few seconds later, three helicopters flew overhead, shining their lights down on us. Ropes dropped down to the dirt floor and Domination Officers slid down the ropes landing right in front of Sheila, Carmi and me.
Half of them pulled out their guns while the other half held the three of us down to the ground while they put handcuffs on us. Five Officers, one of them being Nick, led Lycus, who was now back to his human form, out of the woods. Lycus had a cuff around his neck and his hands had been bound behind him. The cuff around his neck was connected to a chain, which a Domination Officer was pulling him by.
The fire had gone down and wasn’t so much of a problem now. Domination Officers were throwing water on it but it didn’t seem to be helping much.
As my face was being pushed up against the dirt, I looked over at Carmi who was still unconscious, but the Officers were still handcuffing her. I then looked over at Lycus and saw him sitting on a rock while the Domination Officers stood around him.
He looked up and caught my eye. His eyes were full of sadness and he was mouthing something but I couldn’t tell what he was saying. I furrowed my brow and slightly tilted my head. I watched him more closely as he mouthed the word and I finally got it.
Electricity.
I had completely forgot about my power. I looked back behind me as far as I could, trying to get a good look at the Officer. She was still having trouble getting the handcuffs on my hands.
I grabbed one of her fingers and surged. The Officer shook violently then fell to the ground having a spasm every few seconds.
“What’s going on?” The Domination Officer, who had been on the phone, asked. The Officer over Sheila shrugged.
“I don’t know, Chris. Vanessa just fell over.”
Chris made his way over to me casually but then turned around and punched me in the back of my head.
Everything went black.
I woke up in the back of a truck with Carmi, Sheila and Lycus over me. I slowly sat up and looked around. The truck was like an old army truck with a green tent like tarp over the back portion of the truck. I recognized Chris sitting near the back of the truck guarding the opening, which was covered with two flaps.
Another Officer stood in the back corner of the truck, holding a gun at his side. His face showed no emotions so I didn’t pay much attention to him.
Two other people, besides the four of us, were sitting in the corner huddled up together. I nodded towards them.
“Who are they?” I asked.
“Adria, lover your voice,” Sheila said eyeing Chris. “We’ll get in trouble if we talk too loud.”
“Their names are Savannah and Parker. They were triplets but their other brother died during the Merging. They’re 13 years old,” Lycus, told me. “I talked to them earlier.”
“This is all my fault that we’re here. I’m so sorry you guys. I dragged you all into this,” I apologized to the three people listening to me. Carmi placed her hand on my shoulder.
“No, this isn’t your fault,” she said. “The Domination was looking for people like us anyway. They just stumbled upon us.”
The light from inside the truck disappeared and it was replaced with darkness.
“Where are we?” Sheila whispered from somewhere in front of me. I couldn’t see anyone or anything it was so dark. A strong smell of dirt wafted into the truck. The tires on the truck crunched along a road that would take us somewhere far away from our homes.
“I think we’re underground,” Lycus said.
The four of us were quiet for a long time, just listening to the tires smash the earth beneath their weight.
Someone moved next to me and his or her hand accidently landed on mine. The hand quickly moved and Lycus’s voice rang out in the darkness.
“Sorry,” he said giving a small unsure laugh.
I was grinning from ear to ear. “It’s okay,” I said reaching out for him. My hand rested on his arm and he didn’t budge. I kept my hand there for a minute or two then set it back down on the floor of the truck.
We were still sitting in darkness an hour later, waiting for some signs of light.
None came.
“It’s so dark,” I said moving my hand in front of my face even though I knew that I couldn’t see it.
“Would this help?” Lycus asked. He moved away from me and stopped walking once he felt like he was in the middle of the truck. The next thing I knew, Lycus the Liger was sitting in front of me, with his light covering every inch of the truck.
“Yes, that does help,” I said laughing. I saw Chris stand up from the back of the truck with his gun raised but before I could say anything, Carmi said, “ Sit down. He’s only giving us some light.”
Chris sat down but had his gun handy at his side. “It doesn’t really matter,” he told us. “You’ll be able to see in a minute.”
That one-minute took forever but sure enough the light eventually came. When it spread through the flaps, dawn was just breaking. Chris opened the flaps and jumped out. The other Officer in the truck urged us to do the same. Lycus went first and then me, Carmi and Sheila followed immediately after.
Small metal houses the size of an apartment room filled the space before us. People of all ages and races strolled the dirt roads, all wearing identical outfits. Brown jumpsuits with numbers on them.
Some people stopped to look at the new comers, three of them being three teenage boys who looked to be about 17 years old. The boy in the front of the group took two steps towards me before Lycus cut between us, giving the boy a snarl.
The boy quickly stepped back and ran off with his friends laughing, as they ran behind him.
Lycus turned to me and I petted him between the ears. “Thanks,” I said. Then turning my attention back towards the camp, I took in my surroundings. Barbwire fencing surrounded the area with Domination Officers at every post. Security cameras were posted under the roofs of houses and speakers were everywhere as well.
There was no escape.
“Well you’ve obliviously developed some feelings for Adriana, haven’t you Lycus?” The Officer said.
Lycus’s body tensed.
The Officer laughed again. “That’s good,” he said. “Then we can see how protective of her you really are.” In one swift move, the Officer reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. Lycus ran forward and jumped on the Officer. In the middle of his jump, Lycus shifted, turning into the Moonlight Liger.
The Officer began firing the gun at Lycus while he jumped. Suddenly, Lycus fell and rolled to the side still in the form of a Liger.
“Lycus!” I screamed running towards him.
“Don’t move or you’re dead,” the Officer said. I froze. The Officer then began to move towards me taking slow even steps. He still held his gun straight and it was targeted on me.
“Your mother was very helpful in finding you,” he whispered in my ear once he reached me. My eyes grew wide with fear.
“What are you talking about?” I asked quietly. Next to me, Lycus moved and growled softly. I exhaled.
At least he isn’t dead, I thought to myself.
The Officer grabbed my arm but I pushed him off quickly. Backing away from the Officer, I said, “Don’t touch me!”
The Officer moved towards me grabbing my arm again, his grip tighter than the first time. As I screamed and punched him with my hand that wasn’t being held, every time I did so, his grip grew tighter and tighter, soon cutting off the circulation to my hand.
“Let go!” I yelled trying to pull my arm free. I felt something against my ribs and I didn’t need to look down to know what was there. The Officer shifted the gun a little bit so it was now over my hip.
“What did you mean my mother was helpful?” I asked the Officer again.
“Well, exactly what I said. Your mother was very helpful in finding you,” he repeated himself.
From the side of the cave, Sheila was trying to say something but I couldn’t tell what she was saying because of the gag in her mouth. The Domination Officer standing over her hit her in the back of her head and she fell over with a thud, next to Carmi.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
“We want the four of you. You see there are only one or two others like you and we could sure use your rare powers on our side of the Domination,” the Officer explained. “So you’re coming with us.” He grabbed my hands and held them behind my back with one hand while he held the gun at my side with the other hand.
“Nick, Dylan, grab the other two and the boy and let’s go,” the Officer said from behind me.
“Have you seen the boy? He weighs almost 400 pounds!” One of the Officers complained.
“Dylan! Shut your mouth and just do it!” The lead Officer said.
The Officer named Dylan, closed his mouth and took a step back behind Sheila.
“Now hurry up. The truck—” the Officer from behind me stopped talking. I turned around to see Lycus on top of him. There was a grunt from the other side of the campsite and in the light of the fire around us, I saw Sheila standing over Dylan with a dagger in her hand. She bent over and returned the dagger back into her boot. Then she untied the gag from around her mouth and dropped it to the ground.
Nick began running away but Lycus was sprinting after him, chasing him through the woods. I ran over to Carmi and gently shook her shoulder.
“Carmi,” I said shaking her gently. She stirred a bit but didn’t fully wake up.
The Officer that Lycus had knocked down was up again and he was just getting off of the phone.
A few seconds later, three helicopters flew overhead, shining their lights down on us. Ropes dropped down to the dirt floor and Domination Officers slid down the ropes landing right in front of Sheila, Carmi and me.
Half of them pulled out their guns while the other half held the three of us down to the ground while they put handcuffs on us. Five Officers, one of them being Nick, led Lycus, who was now back to his human form, out of the woods. Lycus had a cuff around his neck and his hands had been bound behind him. The cuff around his neck was connected to a chain, which a Domination Officer was pulling him by.
The fire had gone down and wasn’t so much of a problem now. Domination Officers were throwing water on it but it didn’t seem to be helping much.
As my face was being pushed up against the dirt, I looked over at Carmi who was still unconscious, but the Officers were still handcuffing her. I then looked over at Lycus and saw him sitting on a rock while the Domination Officers stood around him.
He looked up and caught my eye. His eyes were full of sadness and he was mouthing something but I couldn’t tell what he was saying. I furrowed my brow and slightly tilted my head. I watched him more closely as he mouthed the word and I finally got it.
Electricity.
I had completely forgot about my power. I looked back behind me as far as I could, trying to get a good look at the Officer. She was still having trouble getting the handcuffs on my hands.
I grabbed one of her fingers and surged. The Officer shook violently then fell to the ground having a spasm every few seconds.
“What’s going on?” The Domination Officer, who had been on the phone, asked. The Officer over Sheila shrugged.
“I don’t know, Chris. Vanessa just fell over.”
Chris made his way over to me casually but then turned around and punched me in the back of my head.
Everything went black.
I woke up in the back of a truck with Carmi, Sheila and Lycus over me. I slowly sat up and looked around. The truck was like an old army truck with a green tent like tarp over the back portion of the truck. I recognized Chris sitting near the back of the truck guarding the opening, which was covered with two flaps.
Another Officer stood in the back corner of the truck, holding a gun at his side. His face showed no emotions so I didn’t pay much attention to him.
Two other people, besides the four of us, were sitting in the corner huddled up together. I nodded towards them.
“Who are they?” I asked.
“Adria, lover your voice,” Sheila said eyeing Chris. “We’ll get in trouble if we talk too loud.”
“Their names are Savannah and Parker. They were triplets but their other brother died during the Merging. They’re 13 years old,” Lycus, told me. “I talked to them earlier.”
“This is all my fault that we’re here. I’m so sorry you guys. I dragged you all into this,” I apologized to the three people listening to me. Carmi placed her hand on my shoulder.
“No, this isn’t your fault,” she said. “The Domination was looking for people like us anyway. They just stumbled upon us.”
The light from inside the truck disappeared and it was replaced with darkness.
“Where are we?” Sheila whispered from somewhere in front of me. I couldn’t see anyone or anything it was so dark. A strong smell of dirt wafted into the truck. The tires on the truck crunched along a road that would take us somewhere far away from our homes.
“I think we’re underground,” Lycus said.
The four of us were quiet for a long time, just listening to the tires smash the earth beneath their weight.
Someone moved next to me and his or her hand accidently landed on mine. The hand quickly moved and Lycus’s voice rang out in the darkness.
“Sorry,” he said giving a small unsure laugh.
I was grinning from ear to ear. “It’s okay,” I said reaching out for him. My hand rested on his arm and he didn’t budge. I kept my hand there for a minute or two then set it back down on the floor of the truck.
We were still sitting in darkness an hour later, waiting for some signs of light.
None came.
“It’s so dark,” I said moving my hand in front of my face even though I knew that I couldn’t see it.
“Would this help?” Lycus asked. He moved away from me and stopped walking once he felt like he was in the middle of the truck. The next thing I knew, Lycus the Liger was sitting in front of me, with his light covering every inch of the truck.
“Yes, that does help,” I said laughing. I saw Chris stand up from the back of the truck with his gun raised but before I could say anything, Carmi said, “ Sit down. He’s only giving us some light.”
Chris sat down but had his gun handy at his side. “It doesn’t really matter,” he told us. “You’ll be able to see in a minute.”
That one-minute took forever but sure enough the light eventually came. When it spread through the flaps, dawn was just breaking. Chris opened the flaps and jumped out. The other Officer in the truck urged us to do the same. Lycus went first and then me, Carmi and Sheila followed immediately after.
Small metal houses the size of an apartment room filled the space before us. People of all ages and races strolled the dirt roads, all wearing identical outfits. Brown jumpsuits with numbers on them.
Some people stopped to look at the new comers, three of them being three teenage boys who looked to be about 17 years old. The boy in the front of the group took two steps towards me before Lycus cut between us, giving the boy a snarl.
The boy quickly stepped back and ran off with his friends laughing, as they ran behind him.
Lycus turned to me and I petted him between the ears. “Thanks,” I said. Then turning my attention back towards the camp, I took in my surroundings. Barbwire fencing surrounded the area with Domination Officers at every post. Security cameras were posted under the roofs of houses and speakers were everywhere as well.
There was no escape.