From Light Unto Darkness

The phone call was what made me freeze.

“Come on, faster!” Nicco panted. I pushed past the limits of what I was able to accomplish so that I could put up another roundhouse. Nicco easily avoided it before using his elbow to knock me back. I dodged it, jumping back. I needed to take a moment to regain my lost energy.

Nicco grinned at me devilishly before leaping and diving into a roll, trying to kick out my legs. I jumped and managed to pin him in time. He knocked me back when the phone rang.

I paused, waiting for him to decide if he should pick it up or duck the call. His hand twisted up, holding a signal for me to stop. I relaxed as he went over to his phone and picked it up.

“Take a break, my dear.” He nodded. I scurried over to my water bottle, sitting cross legged on the mat and sipping from the blue bottle thirstily.

Nicco leaned against the kitchen counter, scowling slightly before his brow relaxed to normal. “Really? Montana? That should be easily enough to accomplish. Take care of it. I expect word back that Carlile will be down within the next three days or so. We’ll take it from there. Goodbye.” He finished his short phone call and turned back to me.

I had to hold back a gasp.

Carlile.

Austin Carlile.

Austin was still alive. And they were going to kill him. I may not be in the loop much when it came to missions, but I knew enough that if Nicco wanted someone dead, he was going to give his spies three days to take down one of the Greys.

Thing is, Austin isn’t a Grey.

“Sorry, love. They were calling about a potential target. Where were we?” He laughed. I cracked a smile, easily hiding my fear.

I couldn’t let Nicco kill someone who was innocent! He kept telling me that we were the Light! We were the good guys! They were the Darkness, they were the bad guys!

I can’t let him do this.

**

I woke up when he was asleep.

It was the dead of night, when the skeletons of the past day were laid to rest and wouldn’t rise for another six hours. Nicco slept next to me, his arm wrapped around my bare waist.

Silently, stealthily, I slipped out of bed and threw on a pair of black shorts and my black hoodie. All black. Can’t risk anything.

Nicco turned over in his sleep, but didn’t wake up. His dark hair fell around him like a fallen angel’s broken halo.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered before slipping downstairs.

The supplies were all in the car. The truck had to be loaded and ready for anything. I made sure to grab my bow on the way out. I placed it carefully next to the quiver in the back seat of the truck. I had stored away a net, the bow and quiver of arrows, some smoke bombs that Nicco had taught me how to make last week, and some flash bangs, just in case.

An outsider would think I was prepared to go into war.

I took off in the truck, pulling away as quietly as possible with my headlights off and driving slow until I found the highway. Once my tires began to hug the blemished tar road, I took off at full speed.

I couldn’t waste any time.

Five hours later, I reached the destination that I was supposed to arrive at. A small town called Hikingson, just outside of Wisdom. Montana had weird town names, I eventually decided.

Hikingson was a small town, but it was the spot that Of Mice and Men would be stopping at to rest and refuel, according to the band’s official website. They had a nifty little tracker that would pinpoint where the band was at all times and they took videos on the road.

In the last one, they said they’d be spending the night here.

I parked my truck outside of the pub in the small town. The boys like to drink, right? Well, not Austin, but the others did.

My plan was to hang in the shadows around the band for the next three days. Nicco said to give them as much. But my hope was that they wouldn’t take three days to strike. Nicco liked speed and effectiveness. His scouts wouldn’t take too long.

I had to find Austin, and quick.

The town was small, which was a bonus. It was early in the morning and the pub wouldn’t open for another two hours, but the bus had to be around this area. I got out of my car, adjusting my belt quickly. I had a few throwing knives from Nicco’s personal collection, some smoke grenades, a couple of flash bangs from the back of the truck, and tranquilizers if needed.

I paused a few steps away from the truck. No, I couldn’t be too safe. I might be leaving my truck for a little while. I needed everything in it.

Just to be safe, I snagged my bow and threw the net in a bag, slinging it over my shoulder. Once I had the bag strapped to my back, quiver over the shoulder, and bow in hand, I might as well be going to war. I felt that way.

Now, to find the large bus.

It didn’t take me long before I located the bus parked in the back of the gas station’s convenience store. I ducked behind the brick wall of the store and put my hood up. I can’t be seen and if I am spotted, my face had to be hidden.

It would do me no good if I had the National Guard called on me for a possible terrorist threat.

There was movement in the bus. I rose from my squatting position, fingering the grip on my bow tentatively. Was I too late?

No. It was Austin. He closed the door behind him with a soft click that I could hear from ten feet away. I evened my frantic heartbeat before watching him shove his hands into his sweatshirt and start strolling along the highway, a lonesome road that stretched out to the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t see a car coming, but he was obviously walking away from the bus for some reason other than company.

My gaze flickered between him and the bus. I couldn’t leave Austin alone because he was the main target, but I couldn’t leave the others alone because the Greys might target him as well.

No, Nicco told me they were focusing on one at a time. Their sights would be trained on Austin right now.

And they might be nearby.

I took out my net. There was only one way into this little parking lot, and that was through this alley. If I needed, I would have to come running back here and might have to use this as a trap.

I hooked up the net overhead, speedily setting up an easy trap. The net was thin and made of special woven threads that wouldn’t easily be seen in the dark. If I stretched it across the alley, they wouldn’t be able to see it. It should hold up, even tangle them up if they fell.

Once I finished with the netting, I couldn’t help but feel a little proud of myself. I smiled and skipped off, sticking to the darkest part of the shadows I could find and trailing Austin by about ten feet.

He passed by the pub and only other store in the town before walking along the empty highway to the middle of nowhere.

Now that he was on the main, desolated road. He kept on walking, even humming loud enough for me to hear him. I didn’t stay on the road. If someone from town looked out a window to see someone sneakily trailing another person without them knowing, my cover would be blown. I had to constantly be aware for any outside eyes.

Instead, I hid in the bushes, creeping through them as Austin kept walking. He paused at a street sign. I looked where he did. The street sign told me that it was called Long Road. Hm.

Austin shrugged, and turned around, starting to head back my way. I slunk further into the bushes. Once he passed me, I came out of hiding, quickly speeding up to him.

I had seen movement from the town. No one should be moving at this early of an hour.

Austin whipped around, his face pale white. I held up my hands in surrender, but that couldn’t have been looking very convincing considering I had a bow in my hand.

He gasped and took a step back, both hands still raised in the air. “I’ll give you money, or a signature or anything! Please, just put the weapon down.” He instantly started pleading. I shook my head.

“No, no, just hold on!” I hissed, trying to keep him quiet. Austin took another step back. I shouldered my long ranged weapon and waved my hands, trying to keep him from panicking. He finally shut up after a moment of me shaking my head.

“Who are you? Did you hurt my friends?” He growled. Oh how sweet. The first thing he thinks of is me hurting his friends.

“Just shut up for a moment! You need to hurry with me. I’m going to try to get you out of here, but you have to do as I say.” I hissed and leapt forwards, snagging his arm. He jerked back but I pulled him on, keeping him moving towards the town.

I swore, I saw shadows moving as we walked along the main highway.

Austin held still for a moment and I turned around, glaring at him from under my hood. My green eyes locked on his dark brown orbs. “You need to follow me if you want to make it out of this town. Now.” I hissed. Austin’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth as if to say something before nodding slowly.

“Okay.” He finally agreed and sped up his pace slightly. I pulled on his arm, whispering for him to act casual. We walked, our heads down until we reached the alley. I pushed him against the back wall of the alley, seeing the glint of the early morning reflect a tiny web of the net.

“When I say run, you need to sprint down the alley. Once you reach those two garbage cans, you’ll need to belly crawl for about five feet, got it?” I asked seriously. He glanced between the trashcans where my invisible net was set up and me.

I looked down, snagging a smoke grenade from my belt. This will certainly cause a lot of commotion, but it’ll give him time to escape. He grasped my wrist tightly until I looked up. The shadows were moving, but I had to time this right.

“How do I know that you’re not leading me into another trap?” He asked seriously, his stare making me halt in my thoughts.

I shook my head, glancing back out onto the main road. The shadows across the street were picking up the pace, coming towards us quickly. I yanked my arm out of his grasp.

“You don’t.” And I threw the smoke bomb on the ground.

Three…

Two…

One…

“RUN!” I yelled and he took off as a puff of smoke making our eyes tear up exploded and covered a solid ten foot radius. There were a chorus of cries as blinded eyes screamed for vision.

I followed Austin, belly crawling in the little space I left under the net for me to escape. The singer reached down, helping me up.

Austin shouldn’t be this kind. He shouldn’t wait to help others us. It’s kill or be killed. He should spare himself the two seconds and run. He shouldn’t be helping me.

I was originally supposed to kill him.

“Thanks.” I mumbled as we took off towards the bus. Alan, the guitarist, opened the door, curious as to what the loud cracking sound of the smoke bomb going off was.

“Austin, what happened to-SHIT!” He screamed and pointed as two men emerged from the smoke. Austin and I dove around the edge of the alley as I turned around, seeing them pull guns.

“MOVE!” I yelled to Austin, pushing him out of the way. All I could hear were the cries and curses as they ran into my net trap.

Nicco had taught me well.

Austin looked at me with a wild expression. “What’s happening?” He cried out. By now, the rest of the band was peering out windows and doing all they could to see what was happening. Alan ran to Austin’s side.

I felt my world go dizzy from the adrenaline. The red head was staring at me.

“Who the hell are you?” he screamed, pushing me away. I leapt forward and shoved them both towards their bus. Austin grabbed the ginger and ran.

“TINO, START THE BUS!” Phil screamed, pointing to one man who was now free from the grasps of my net and stumbling towards me. I unhooked my bow from my shoulder and knocked and arrow, launching it into his shoulder. A scream of pain arose from the attacker’s mouth, and terrified shrieks came from the fully grown men on the bus.

The lights on the bus started to life as the engine hummed frantically. Austin grabbed my arm.

“Come on! Let’s go!” he yelled at me. I shook my head and took a step back. The man with the arrow in his shoulder was recovering and I needed to give Austin as much time as possible to escape.

“Go on, they’re looking for you! Get out of this state and hide for a while! You need to stay low!” I yelled back at him, shoving him into the bus and pulling a flash bang from my belt. I took the pin in between my teeth and pulled, throwing it as a second and third man arrived.

“Come on!” Austin yelled as the doors closed.

“I’ll give you time, but you need to go!” I screamed and loosed a second arrow to one of the men pulling a gun on me. The flash bang went off and I turned, covering my eyes. When I finally opened them, the bus was pulling out of town and all three men were on the ground. I heard the engine disappear as I ran from man to man, tranquilizing each of them in rapid succession.

I’m not a killer. I couldn’t kill them.

Besides, that would leave too much evidence.

Speaking of which, I needed to hurry and find the scouts’ truck. In there, they would have a mission log totaling the number of men, their mission, and any details I might need.

I heard anxious citizens coming out of their hiding places as I ran through the alley, gathering up my bloody net in the process. Can’t leave that behind.

I found their truck parked in the corner of the convenience store parking lot. I could tell it was theirs because the back door was unlocked and I saw a pistol in the cup holder. These guys were idiots.

I found the log in the front under the seat. I scanned through it quickly. Three of them, yes, the ones passed out behind the small market store. They were only supposed to kill Austin, leave no evidence, be done within the next three days. Easy. Quick. To the point.

I took the log and shoved it back under the seats. Taking my knife, I slashed the tires and left. I can’t let them escape. I had to give Austin as much time as possible.

He had to escape.

**

When I pulled up to the barn, I could tell Nicco was already up. Who wouldn’t be up at noon? Most teenagers, I guess. But no, Nicco was not most. He wouldn’t still be asleep. He would be mad, but maybe I could hide it.

No, Nicco would know. I would tell him that I went out after Austin, but he got away. That would work.

I parked the truck and got out, slowly opening the door. Nicco was, of course, waiting for me. His hard eyes were trained on me, not saying a word until I was done putting all my equipment away. I knew that he liked it organized, so I had to do my best under his icy gaze.

“You slipped out. Without my permission.” He snarled, not even hiding the fact that he was angry. I nodded simply, holding my tongue. Perhaps I could hold out for a while. Perhaps the storm would pass with little explanation.

“I did and for that, I am sorry.” I responded after a moment, not letting a single emotion slide off my lips. Nicco stared at me, his gaze never changing. He let the silence sit, seeing who would make the first move.

“Where did you go? It had to be quite an adventure if you’ve been gone for six hours.” He asked softly. I licked my lips and kept my gaze straight.

“Groceries.” I responded simply. He looked as if he were about to say something, but held his tongue. Eventually, his gaze relaxed and he opened his arms, almost inviting for a hug. I edged towards him hesitantly, anxious to see his next move.

“Come here, my dear.” He sighed and I fell into his arms, a breath of relief escaping my lips.

He didn’t know.

“I brought the weapons because I wanted to try my hand at improving some of them and I couldn’t remember all the measurements and I wanted to make sure I got the right ones.” I apologized. His hands grazed up and down my back. I grinned against his chest. He placed a reassuring kiss to the top of my head.

“Oh my dear Zila, for being seventeen years old, you are a very bright girl.” He sighed into my hair. When he released me, he leaned down and pecked my nose before walking off towards the kitchen.

I padded after him quietly. “Hungry?” He asked. I nodded silently and waited for him to toss me a box of crackers from the pantry. I munched on the round disks quietly.

Everything had returned to normal. He hadn’t found out.

Notes