Get ready, Tethered Community. The war for freedom is just getting started. A small warning. This scene will become chaotic.
∞ The Tethered Ones ∞
Chapter 24
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• Luna •
Everyone, including Luna, held their breath.
She gasped when an explosion rocked Dr. Kim's garage and sent his red Mercedes up in flames, flipping it over onto a white van. An inferno poured out of both engines, and the car's wheels spun upside down. Several armed Defectives came out of the forest, and then rushed inside the house.
The sound of gunfire and missiles echoed the chilling scene.
Chaos unfolded. And screams shattered the silence as people pushed through an open doorway. Like a herd, people had toppled over each other, trying to escape. Bodies went down, and their screams pitched louder, mingling with the cries of pregnant women.
In an instant, Defectives were everywhere roaming the area.
"Oh God," Luna whispered, her heart pounding profusely.
Amir grabbed her hand. "We need to go. Now."
But she couldn't leave. Her body wouldn't move. She was rooted right where her feet stood, and she finally understood what the staff meant at St. Matthew's. She knew this war was going to get worse, and she knew it was going to get gruesome, and she should look away, but she couldn't. She had to see the damage she'd caused. Their highway incident was just the beginning.
What have we done?
Amir yanked her around the corner, ushering their bodies quickly down the steps. The window by the laundry room shattered, and what looked like a teenage girl with scarlet red hair raced past them, a knife in her hand.
But then, when Luna got a better look, she realized it wasn't the girl's natural hair color. It was blood. The girl made it to the side door before a burst of light hit her side, causing her to fall backward. A charred hole smoked from the middle of her chest.
"What the hell?" Luna croaked, her stomach roiling.
Amir's nostrils flared. "She doesn't even look eighteen."
"We can't go out there."
"But we can't stay here, Moon."
She inched toward the hallway and peered around the corner, her stomach flopping as she saw a woman's body lying on the ground, holding a toddler. A female Defective stood over the woman, her palm aimed at their chest.
"Please, don't. My baby is sick," the woman pleaded.
The female sneered at her with a sinister smile. "Sorry, but I don't make the rules."
The woman's eyes widened, and her pupils dilated. A shimmery white light radiated from the Defective's hand and sparked the center of both bodies, giving the victims enough time for one last shriek.
What was happening? Who were these people? Why are they attacking everyone? Luna could feel Amir pressing against her shoulder and watched as the Defective stepped back to marvel over her victims. The woman must've been at least twenty-two, and her daughter was three. They both had charcoal-colored hair, with bright green eyes, and today was their last day.
Luna wanted to scream, but Amir had his hand over her mouth. "Shh. We've got to walk out of here as quietly as we can." She nodded, and he said, "Stay with me."
Moving carefully out of the hallway, she realized what the rebels were doing. They were killing Origins and patients who were inside the house. His voice floated among her thoughts, and she'd never seen anything like this. She was frightened for everyone's safety. He tried to calm her nerves down once they made their way near the front door, but the humidity and the scene before them was too much.
Watching the Defectives kill was like watching The Hunger Games, Tethered Souls version. They were ruthless and full of rage. The sight of bodies lying throughout the yard or being thrown out of the highest window, splattering across the grass, was worse than the time they had escaped the hospital. It was bloody, deadly, and had continued throughout the property. A storm had come through, and it wasn't the welcoming kind.
"We need to run." Amir's hand tightened around her waist as he pulled her back against him. "Let's move."
She looked around and couldn't see a clear path to the forest. "Where?"
"They're in the main house. No one is looking over here." He hauled them toward the back of the guest house, tugging her toward him until she was plastered against his back. Sweat dripped heavily, and her eyes watered.
She struggled to keep up as they got to the corner. "We need to get the children."
"We can't go over there," he said. "They may see us."
"We're both powerful enough to take them," she argued. "Those children are innocent and dying. And here we are running."
He turned to her, grabbing her shoulders. "Baby, I know you want to save everyone. Hell, even I do. But if we don't get out of here, we'll be dead. They're out for blood. An Origin's blood." She sniffed as he pulled them around a large garbage bin full of biohazard material. When a young man was spotted behind a bush, a Defective bolted and hit the victim in his face. "Did you see what they just did? We can't be spotted."
She slammed a balled fist against the wall, and a pool of tears poured out of her eyes. "We have to help them."
None of them deserve this.
Amir snapped forward, his brows pulled down. "There is a massacre happening, and I don't think anyone is powerful enough to take them out. They're burning holes in people's chests. We need to get out of here the best way possible. There are deadly pods everywhere, and we need to bypass them."
A scream made her whirl around the corner. From the side of the house, Luna could see the Defective from earlier was staring down at a young girl, who was clenching a pillow tightly. The woman's lips then curled into a mocking smile.
No. There was no way Luna could not do anything. She had no idea why this ambush happened, or what the Defectives have planned, but she doubted it involved letting anyone stay alive.
She glanced at Amir, who stared daggers at the Defective.
"Luna," he growled, tightening the grip on her arm, but she yanked it away. "Stay."
Too late. Before she could comprehend what she was doing, her legs and arms pumped as she sprinted behind another trash bin. A clap of thunder came as she reached a large bush, and the left side of the house was now littered with more Defectives. They kept coming nonstop, appearing right before her eyes, and they had abilities beyond what she and Amir had. They moved like the speed of light, and she thought her heart would explode at some point. But it didn't.
Skidding around the house, she threw her hand up in case she needed to use her telekinesis. She could, at least, knock them into the field.
The Defective froze and tilted her head. She turned her gaze around, and brilliant red eyes locked onto Luna's. Rosy red lips parted. Her stare turned colder as if there was nothing human inside of her, not even a hint of compassion, just cold animosity.
'Genesis One' kept floating in her mind. She knew in that tiny moment of her stare-off contest with the Defective, it was the beginning and the end. They were truly dark and malicious, and their powers exceeded what she could do.
Straightening up, she swallowed the icy bit of terror that consumed her and lunged forward, grabbing the child out of the way. The girl's scream ricocheted through her and she panicked, kicking and hitting. Luna clamped her arms around the child and held on as tightly as she could, ushering them back to Amir.
He stood still, shell-shocked.
The Defective let out a banshee-like wail, a scream so loud that it nearly shook the ground beneath them. Little bursts of energy crackled along her arms as she stared at the group, and a venomous grin then plastered across the woman's face. "Do I see the famous Amir and Luna?"
Oh crappity crap.
She knew then both she and Amir had to come up with something, and it had to be fast. Defectives could sense their abilities, and that put them at risk. The Defective sneered at them, her eyes darkening. Luna knew their fate was about to take a dark turn, and there was no way out.
The child squirmed in her arms, managing to wiggle an arm free. Swinging on her, the child knocked Luna's ponytail loose, causing her hair to spill around her shoulders. The Defective stepped forward, her lips tipping up, showing a pearly white grin.
Not good.
"Luna," Amir murmured. "Don't move."
She couldn't listen to him. The child was screaming and kicking, causing her to remember what it was like raising Sarah. The girl had an innocent quality about her, but she also had a bitter one. She had every right to be hurt, because a Defective had killed whoever had been taking care of her, whether it was a parent or another guardian.
The scent of burned flesh and gas polluted the air. The heat combined with the attack knocked Luna's sense into gear. The only way out of this attack was to move forward and take action.
Sucking in a breath, she turned to Amir and whispered, "Take care of her."
"Moon, don't," he pleaded, holding the young girl's arms.
But she was already across the yard and back at the garage.
She caught the Defective's crimson eyes as the woman circled her. The woman stopped for a moment and pushed her long pink hair behind her ears, revealing an attractive face offset by cuts and bruises. "Are you wanting to take me on?"
Luna's chest pumped. "With pleasure," she gritted out.
One side of her lips curled up. "Oh, this is going to be epic."
Arms up, Luna launched forward and flung her fist against her cheek, causing the woman to yell. Tapping into the Defective's power, she brought her fingers up and zapped her right in the eyes. She let out a scream, and her body fell to the ground. A gunshot later, both of them were now accompanied by more Defectives, and an arctic blast of horror slid its way up her spine.
Without any warning, Amir went all badass.
Snapping forward, he reared his arm back and began taking on a tall figure with midnight blue hair. A few kicks and punches later, a bolt of energy cascaded down his arm, erupting from his palm. He plunged it into the center of the man's chest, and his body crashed into the window of the guest house, the place they stayed in for two and a half weeks.
Glass shattered, landing on some of the Defective's skin.
Luna glanced back and noticed the child was no longer there. Her stomach coiled, hoping she was okay.
One of the injured Defectives shot toward Amir and whirled around a woman, then aimed his palm in the air. Luna pulled all the energy she could muster, and a light illuminated from her hands. It was brighter than it had been before. She smacked into the Defective's dark cheekbone. He threw a hand to his jaw and snarled. "You bitch!"
"You want another one?" she said, gearing up to let loose another bolt of energy.
But then, she was struck. One minute, she was standing, and the next, she was on the ground, face down. Turning her neck, she bellowed and a sliver of smoke came out of her shoulder. Holy ouch. She reached around and gently touched her scapula, wincing from the pain. Forcing herself to stand, her hand came back smudged in red.
It's on like Donkey Kong, she thought.
Amir caught her stare and dashed toward her. "Oh, baby," he said, pulling her to him.
Before either of them had a chance to turn around, he took a meaty fist in the face. Stumbling several steps, Luna stayed next to her husband, then opened her arms. Dirt swirled around them as she released a scintillating essence from her body and sent out an illuminating aura that reached past the yard. Breathing heavily, she stopped for a moment and caught her breath.
The male Defective doubled over.
Whatever she had done a moment ago knocked him down, taking the breath out of his lungs. She smiled grimly, then grabbed hold of his velvet-colored head and slammed her knee into his nose. Bones cracked, but she knew that wouldn't keep him down.
And then, she realized what needed to be done.
She had to shock his temples so he wouldn't keep going.
Out of the corner of her eye, Amir surprised her and let loose a blast from his hand, emanating down his arm and into the Defective's head. Dark orbs that once stared at her had rolled into the back of his sockets, and his body crumbled like a pile of dust.
What in the —
Not even a second passed, and she was flung backward into a hedge. The impact was so painful it was like a car had ran over her limbs.
Oh, hell no!
A large person — either a male or female — she couldn't tell stood over Amir with their hands gripped around his neck. The air that surrounded her cracked with static, springing her to her feet. Darting forward, her legs took off as she dodged several bullets coming her way.
But then everything paused, suspended in the air.
An explosion that started to flare up near Dr. Kim's fireplace was frozen as if someone had pressed the 'pause' button on a DVD.
Eyebrows scrunched, she was confused. When she moved, her breath hitched in the back of her throat, and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The entire horrific display in front of her was still, and not a single person breathed. That included Amir.
Luna gasped.
She could freeze time.
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