“The building is huge, with two stories, but I couldn’t get inside to check out the layout.”
I took a deep breath. “They’re going to vastly outnumber us. And, despite the shortage on the streets, I’m sure they’ll have guns in that type of setup.”
Lallielle shook her head. “What’s a gun?”
I closed my eyes briefly. This lack of knowledge was going to get someone killed.
Opening them again, I quickly explained. “It’s a weapon that ejects a piece of metal at a rapid trajectory, faster than the eye can track. They are deadly, easily able to blow a large hole in a person.”
Quarn’s face was grim. “A gun was what ... took Hallow when we first arrived. I’d never seen a weapon like it and we weren’t prepared. Depending where the projectile hits, the damage can be too great for our cells to repair.” He looked around, throwing his hands to emphasize his words. “But even in the deadzone, with our abilities limited, we’re still fast enough to track the bullets. Don’t lose focus. If they start shooting, expand your senses.”
I shuddered at the thought. “Okay, let’s leave that as a last resort. Ideally, we should get in and out without anyone really noticing. We don’t want a shootout. Innocent people will get killed.”
Lucy didn’t have any super speed and a stray bullet would end her life.
“So, I’m going to the training room now, to see if anything useful has been left.”
“We’ll all go with you. Now’s not the time to split up,” Brace said, his tone serious.
I tried to get a read on him, but right now he was locked down tight. Was his lack of power making him nervous?
The group were waiting on me. I stepped away from my biggest distraction, Brace, to gather my focus. It was battle time. Lucy was depending on me to save her.
Well, she probably wasn’t. She’d be trying to save herself and irritating everyone to death in the process. I just hoped she wouldn’t get hurt through sheer bloody-minded stubbornness.
The solar power was still working, so the stairs were lit enough for us to traverse them. They were narrow and rickety, and in the low light I almost lost it down the last three steps.
Nothing looked disturbed on the lower level, but there was a strange feeling in the damp air. I stepped across the cement floor.
“Aribella – stop!” I froze at Josian’s order.
He was looking around, his face frozen in confused worry. “A doorway has been opened here ... recently. The rift is still open.”
That must be the heaviness I could feel in the air. “Why does it seem so … angry?”
His eyes were still darting around. “It is unusually strong, the resonating energy left behind. But as long as we don’t step too close, we should be fine.”
I could feel his unease spreading through our group.
“I don’t feel anything.” Quarn looked around. “Where is it?”
Josian pointed to the far corner. “It’s in the space over there, although there seems to be a trailing of power I don’t like.”
I was feeling a little nauseated. Like a cloak of heaviness was pressing down on my stomach, threatening to expel all the delicious food I’d eaten earlier.
Lallielle moved closer to Josian. He draped one of his massive long arms around her protectively.
I stepped around them, staying as far from that corner as possible. Moving across the cold room, I made my way to the built-in shelves lining the back wall. Nauseating shivers continued to rack my body.
Shoving a few of the blue workout mats to the side, I wrinkled my nose as the smell of old sweat assaulted me, bringing back a few memories. I sighed, reminded of how much I loved fight class. Skills I was sure to be utilizing in the very near future.
I had to crouch down to check the bottom lockers first. After some rummaging through old clothes and ratty bits of screwed-up paper, I did manage to find a familiar small blue box – compound-issued lock-picking kit.
Bending from his lofty heights, Brace peered over my shoulder. “I doubt that is much of a weapon, Red.”
Quarn laughed derisively. “I’m constantly amazed at the weapons they utilize on Earth. Sometimes they’re much smaller than you’d expect.”
Brace looked more interested now.
I shook my head. “Sorry to disappoint. This is just a lock-pick kit.”
I stood quickly, forgetting Brace was right above me. I smacked hard into his chest, and I’m pretty sure I saw stars as I fell to the floor again.
Reaching down, he helped me back to my feet. His hand lingered just longer than necessary on my own, the sparks between us alive and well, even in the dead zone.
I shook my head and stepped around the group. The tall locker was the storage vessel for this compound’s training weapons. And also the reason I needed the pick kit.
Josian reached out to grab my arm. “That’s where the rift is.”
I shrugged off my over-protective father. “I know, but I need to get into that cabinet. I’ll be careful,” I assured him.