Chapter 6

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The ride in the pickup truck seems to last forever as the pain in my shoulder increases. Once we reach the base of our attackers, I'm in so much pain from my fading adrenaline that it almost doesn't register how large this place is. It's almost like a walled-in small village. A Reserve for outsiders, but instead of keeping people in it's meant to keep others out.

People stare at us quizzically as we're wheeled in. Men, women, children....clean, well-fed, healthy. I spot the tablet tucked in the bag of the man with the snake tattoo. If I can manage to snag it somehow, I can call the Kofali forces to us with a distress signal. Slowly, I start to fumble with the restraints on my wrists. Realizing that it's rope, and that I was tied quickly without much care, I think I have a chance to break free.

The attackers pull us off the truck as it stops, rounding us up into the nearest building. It's dark inside. I'm placed on my knees and instinctively look for my mother. To my relief, she's placed next to me. When the attackers behind me walk away talking to one another, I go to work on my restraints as she watches. She gives me a small nod, fumbling with her restraints as well.

I see Leah laying on the ground, slowly coming to with a small groan. Olivia is next to her, eyeing her with concern. I try to catch her gaze or Rebecca's, but see Damien, Grace, Harrison, and Elliot look at me instead as they're placed across from us. Holding up my hands slightly, I let them see that I am trying to free myself and they should do the same.

The time seems to pass agonizingly slow as I try to break out of the rope. Dread builds up in my stomach as I hope one of us will break free in the next few moments. Our captors think we're aliens. I have no idea what they have in mind for us, but it can't be good. Fighting to stay calm, I feel the rope loosen slightly little by little. I spot the man with the bag place the tablet on the table, mumbling about it to the person next to him. They try to fiddle with it and my heart starts to hammer so loudly I can barely hear them.

Please leave it alone, please leave it alone, please leave it alone, I beg repeatedly. When they walk away, I almost slouch with relief as my muscles un-tense. Someone clears their throat, and I look up to see Damien has freed himself and is waiting on the rest of us. He moves ever so slightly closer to Elliot to help him, attempting to be as silent as possible to avoid detection. When I feel my wrists slip out of the rope, Elliot is free as well. I turn to help my mom and see that her restraints are also off.

Suddenly, I hear a low hum that is all too familiar. The ground starts to rumble. The windows start to rattle. Our captors freeze as the blood drains from their faces. A chill runs down my spine, partially from fear and partially from excitement. The alien reinforcements for Razec are here. Which means she's here and we can be rescued as well. Now is the time if we want to make it out of here.

Damien senses this, lunging for our guns immediately. I go for the tablet, remembering how Cole and Kira explained how to do the distress call. The reinforcements are looking for Razec, but I think it can help Kira know we're here too. The moment I trigger it, an ear-piercing, shrill beeping emanates from it. My head pounds, my shoulder screams in agony, but I must move forward. Our captors are clutching their ears and trying to get their bearings. I turn to my group, yelling over the noise that Razec must be here and we need to find her. Everyone nods and we run out into the unfamiliar base.

Pandemonium has ensued. I can see the Émigré ships overhead, two in total. People are running for shelter, screaming in fear or for their loved ones, and completely oblivious to us. In the mass of darkly clothed bodies, white uniforms start to bleed in. Kira and her forces.

We dash into any structure we can, looking into every window for that flash of red hair. Human gunfire starts, with the hiss of the laser beams soon following after. I look back to make sure my mother is still with me, seeing her eyes wide with fear yet sharp and focused. She meets my gaze and grabs my hand, the warmth slowing down my hammering heartbeat.

"Here! She's here!" Damien yells, zapping my attention to my right. We all run toward him, seeing Razec surrounded by captors of her own in the foyer of a former small business building. Letting go of my mother's hand, I grab my gun and watch her grab hers. We take aim and fire quickly through the windows, the shattering glass barely audible in the commotion. Once Razec is the last alive, our crew rushes in to free her.

The room is mostly empty except for what must be close to a hundred red canisters of gasoline. As Damien unties her, I can hear the faint yelling of more people in the building as they struggle to find where the noise was coming from. We aren't free yet.

"Let's go!" I yell once Razec is free.

"I'll try to flag down Kira," Elliot calls, grabbing Olivia and Leah for protection. They dash out, and I grab Razec, but I spot what makes my blood run cold. More people are stampeding down the steps. And they're armed. We start to fire right away, but it's too late. I watch Harrison and Grace get hit, going down on there knees. Damien is firing like a mad man, screaming in fury yet trying in vain. She's already been struck. We manage to gun them all down, but that only gives us minutes before more people in this base find us.

"Run!" I tell Razec and my mother, shoving them out the door. I look down at Harrison and see his eyes open as blood pools next to him. Grace is gasping for air as her abdomen slowly stains red. Damien kneels beside her. He grabs her hand, a tear streaming down his cheek.

"Get Kira and bring her back," He barks at me, ripping his shirt off and wrapping it around her to stop the bleeding. I nod, running out of the building and toward the now mostly deserted streets. As I run, I spot a group up ahead. My mother is running back toward me, Kira and other white armored figures flanked behind her. I wave them over just as a laser from one of the ships strikes the building behind me.

There is no time to react. A deafening sound erupts behind me as I'm catapulted forward by the force of the explosion. I feel heat first, and then a sharp jolt of pain as I slam to the ground. All of the air seems to leave my body. My nerves seem jolted and then lit on fire. There is no sound but my ears ringing. Time seems to stop as I cough and sputter, attempting to raise myself in agony.

"Rachel! Baby, you're ok," My mother's voice seems a thousand miles away as I look up to see her over me, holding back tears and kneeling beside me.

"You're safe now, I promise. I will heal you and you will be fine." Kira's voice is next as I feel the familiar prick of a needle. My last thought before the blackness envelopes me and I lose consciousness is of the ship that holds those I care about hostage. I'm almost there. I will find them. And I will rescue them. Even if it's the last thing I do.

Author's Note: HELLO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!! AH, IT'S SO GOOD TO BE BACK!

I've missed you all and Wattpad so much, and I am so incredibly sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you can forgive me. Thank you for sticking by me for so long and supporting this story the way you have. It really means so much more to me than I could ever put into words. I am excited to get this book done, no matter what.

If you want updates on my progress, my twitter is ellenolanauthor and my instagram is that as well.

LOVE YOU ALL!

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