Wanderlust

I ran faster, trying to escape the barrage of soldier‘s barreling down on me throughout the hanger. I had started to ignore the gunshots since I couldn’t distinguish between all the other gun fights that were happening around me. It was a miracle I hadn’t been hit yet. I fired blindly behind me, hoping to hit one of them. I had missed yet again and was growing panicked at how many more places I could run before I was cornered. I had no choice but to leave Hannah like I had Constantine, I would have been killed if I would stick around them.

I ran towards the vehicle compound, knowing that would provide some coverage for me behind the multiple steel cars there. I saw a bright flash of burning light as the wall crumbled down to the left of me. The day’s light shining in brightly, distracting myself just enough to trip. A fatal mistake as I felt almost instantly a familiar current that smelled of melting metallic run through my bones. I shook in agony as the electrical rod struck me again until the soldier fell limp beside me. My muscle’s were riddled with tremor after tremor from over stimulation, cramping up painfully as I could barely make out the feeling of someone stroking my hair.

“Relax, Dahlia.” I looked up and saw Jay hovering above me. His face cut up and a mixture of dirt and ash smudged his face.

I turned my head away, seeing under the vehicle I was laying by. I saw another group of soldiers making their way in but they didn’t move as forcefully or quickly as the others were. They stayed together and tightly knit as I watch a single pair of feet walking in the middle. My eyes followed the shiny boots, trailing up their legs to see the invading figures.

“Annihilate any resisters. Don’t pity them because there will be no one to pity you if you do. Understand?”
The voice was direct and low, a resounding pain knotted in my shoulders. I rolled into my stomach, Jay trying to stop me but I slapped his hands away. I peered around the vehicle, looking up into my maker’s face. I held back a sob as I scampered back behind the vehicle, my head pounding like my heart had leapt up there with my brain.

The memories seared themselves into the back of my eyelids. I was taken back to that godforsaken place, to that metal table. I felt the freezing air whoosh around me, a mouth piece being yanked from my mouth as cold water was dumped on me to clear the blood and sweat from me.

“Anymore and she’ll die, sir.” I recognized the female, the tight thin blonde hair pulled back tightly into a bun, the woman who looked like she didn’t have any soul left in her.

“More. I want her so cleared she won’t be able to recognize her own shit if it fell out of her ass.” The dark gaze was a jolt in its own. “Again, double the injections and toss her out. She won’t be a problem anymore.”

I had no more tears to cry as I was barely coherent, I couldn’t even count straight. My brain frizzled in the mess that is housed in. I felt myself slipping more and more, so much I didn’t even feel the last shock. I didn’t feel anything until I feel the murky ground behind my naked body, or until I felt the displacing and sheer fright of not even knowing my own voice.

My maker was in front of me again. I felt lost all over again until Jay had shook me back into reality. Reminding me that I was someone again, I was alive.

“Dahlia! What it is!” Jay’s eyes were wide and wandering, Bouncing from corner to corner in paranoia.

“Kruger,” I shuttered, a silent cry escaping my shriveling mouth. “It’s him. He’s here, Jay. He’s going to kill me!”

I panicked, trying to get up and run but he held me down with a steady grip. “Whoa, back up! Dahlia, are you sure?”

“I may not remember much but I will never forget that devil’s face.” The tears stopped forming and instead my blood boiled in hot anger.

“I know you want dibs on that guy but I don’t think that’s going to happen, alright?” Jay turned to see if anyone was behind him. “This is what we’re going to do. We’re going to run and we’re going to gather anyone that we know and high tail it the hell out of here in one of these vehicles, understand?”

“Yes.” My voice croaked in concentration, my leg’s lifting me up halfheartedly.

“Let’s go then,” he handed me an extra gun he had on him, “you get Millie and Marcus and I’ll get Jaden and Mila. We meet back here as soon as possible if we can but if you don’t see us, you don’t stop. You go and we’ll find each other.”

“You know if we leave seperat—,” I started but he covered my mouth.

“Don’t even think it. Just do it.” He hugged me tightly and quickly before sprinting off into the distance.
I took off back towards where I had left Marcus, hoping he was easy to find. I didn’t hesitate shooting anyone that stood in my way, unless they were a face that I knew were just as afraid as I was. Marcus’s door was busted down and his room empty. I called for his name multiple times, running out when I didn’t hear a response.

I dared to go to the market, spotting the hellfire that had engulfed at least half of the area. It was a madhouse, people running with bloodied bodies or like flaming stars falling out of the sky. I had to find Marcus before he was one of those stars that would fall to their death. The supporting beams hung unstably above me. I ran under them like a bug under a swatter, shoving past people as I saw a lone figure looked up silently at the no longer suspended beams. It was Marcus.

“Marcus!” I ran up to him, turning him around. “Come on, there’s a way out!”

I started ahead of him but he didn’t follow, he just stood unaffected by the prospect of escaping. “I screwed up, Evanna. I have to pay for my mistakes.”

“Marcus, you’re talking crazy. Please, let’s go.” I held my hand out to him and I heard a beam groan from its hinges.

Marcus took my face in his hands, looking at me adoringly as he smiled. “Did I ever tell you that you looked just like your Mother?”

“No,” I whispered, feeling uneasy under his stare. “Marcus, we can’t wait any longer.”

“You were the only family that protected me. No matter what it was, you were there. I wasn’t though, I should’ve told you. I should’ve protected you like you have always protected me.”
“What are you talking about?” I backed out of his grasp, watching the tears spill over his face.

“I am guilty.” He looked up as I did, noticing the beam above us hanging on like a broken hangnail waiting to be cut. “If there’s one more thing I can protect you from, it is my choices and mistake.”

“Marcus, can we talk about this later? You’re scaring me.” I held my hands up slowly.

He chuckled a little, smiling like he was living in a past memory or a dream. I reached for him but jumped as a crackling snap shook me.

“Dahlia?” I looked over, seeing Millie and Jaden working their way through the crowd but I looked back up to see the beam release itself.

“Marcus!” I went for him but he shoved me out of the way. It happened so fast. I felt all over it make sense to me suddenly.

“No!” I stumbled to my feet, running over to the beam that had taken Marcus down with it.

Fire was spitting itself up from the electrical wires that had been torn down with it, keeping me from getting to him. I felt a grip around me, yanking me back from the fire that was toasting the area around it. I crumpled in their grasp, being passed off to a more delicate one.

“Dahlia,” I heard Millie start but there was nothing to say. “Come on, let’s get out of here if can help it.”

I managed to pull my wits together enough to form a plan of running, shooting, and driving far away. It was three things, only those things that had me grab Millie’s hand and pulling her forward.

“Wait, we need to bring Jaden!” She turned, looking around for her brother that was just next to her. “Wher—Jaden!”

He was nowhere to be seen and my head told me to stop stalling and get going. I tugged on Millie’s hand again, “Jay will find him. Please, Mar-Millie,” I gulped, “Millie, let’s go.”

“Not without him,” she shared the frantic look that I had grown accustomed too.

I looked around us with her until I spotted him running towards up. He was waving us ahead and I grabbed Millie and ran, feeling her run beside me just as fast. The hanger’s population had dwindled fast and we were easy pickings.

“Faster,” I huffed, shooting ahead of me.

I didn’t stop to see if Mila and Jay were around, I was going to do as I was told. I jumped in the first vehicle I saw, turning the engine over as Millie jumped in beside me. I was about to take off when I didn’t feel Jaden jump in behind us. I turned, seeing him and a few other’s fending off incoming enemies.

“Go!” I heard his shout over the noise but I didn’t move. “Go, Dahlia!”

My foot pressed down on the petal when I saw the fear in his eyes wasn’t for him but for us. Millie protested, trying to jump back out but we already were forging ahead into the unknown, leaving Jaden and who knows who else behind to die.