Shay took off at a run just as klieg lights went on behind her, scoping the ground. They were ditching subtle altogether.
She ducked lower to the ground and kept moving. The figure to the left took off running as well, easily passing her in the distance. “What the hell?” she whispered.
“This way,” a deep voice shouted as the growing crowd of mercenaries focused their attention on the back grounds of the museum.
Getting closer…
“What exactly does the damn thing do?” Shay hissed, running as fast as she could.
“This says it has the power to bestow magic on its owner. Something weird here about if it wants to. I don’t know. A lot of this was translated from an old Oriceran language.”
“No wonder they want it so badly.”
The sound of dirt bikes coming over the hill filled the air.
“Shit, I’m gonna need a few clever moves to get out of this one.” Shay stood up and ran full out, grateful for all the hours of training. She was going to need it.
She kept her focus on the buildings ahead and a chance at ducking in somewhere, not looking back even as she could hear the bikes getting closer.
She felt a hand wrap around her ankle, startling her even as she put out her hands to break her hard fall. The wind knocked out of her but she was trained for something like this too. She rolled over, ready to kick her assailant in the face, the hand still gripping her ankle.
“Shay, what was that loud thump? Shay? The camera’s gone dark.” Peyton’s voice was pleading for an answer.
Shay hesitated when she saw the girl’s face in the dim light. The girl was partially out of a grass-covered hole, doing her best to pull Shay inside. Shay didn’t need to ask questions, not right now. She easily slid herself inside the opening as the girl let go, pulling the cover over both of them.
Shay found herself standing on the rungs of a metal ladder, squeezed next to the girl as they scrambled down. They both paused when the bikes squealed overhead, followed by the sound of running footsteps.
“Where the fuck did she go?” An angry male voice shouted. Shay couldn’t help smiling.
“Police helicopter coming.”
“We pay them more than enough. Maybe they can spot her.”
“Who the hell is she?” Another voice shouted, just as angry.
The girl looked at Shay and pulled out a small flashlight, lighting the way. “Come on, we better get out of here while we still can. Not too many people know there’s an old abandoned nuclear escape tunnel back here, but better safe than sorry.”
Peyton’s voice had gone silent. Shay looked around at the cement walls, guessing they were pretty thick if they were built to withstand a nuclear blast. No signal would penetrate that.
“Who are you?” Shay adjusted the bag and moved behind the girl as they entered a large, circular cement opening that stretched ten feet over Shay’s head.
“I could ask the same thing. I go by Lily. It’s a name I gave myself. Backgrounds don’t matter down here.”
“Down here?”
They hurried down the wide tunnel, splashing through brackish water, making two left turns and then a right. “You know your way around down here pretty well.”
“I should, I’ve been living down here for over a year.”
They came into an even larger tunnel just as a small gathering of teenagers scattered into other openings, disappearing down other tunnels.
“I had a feeling that would happen. You’re a little old and dressed like a remake from Mission Impossible. They were gonna run first, slap me around for answers later.”
“My kind of crowd, and what the hell do you mean by old? I’m in my twenties.”
“Exactly… old. This is one of the best underground hangouts for people like me. Under twenties with nowhere else to go. Protected from the elements, out of harms way. Pretty good circumstances.”
Shay pulled out her own flashlight and shone the beam around the tunnel. “Sure, if damp smells and hard ground are your thing.”
“Better than where I came from. Father got picked up by a bounty hunter. Dark magic was his thing. Mom disappeared a long time ago.”
“You’re magical?” Shay shone her flashlight on Lily. Long gray hair hung down to her waist. “You’re a gray elf. I’ve heard of your kind. I thought you were all about good.”
“You mean my father? Yeah, well, there has to be one to prove the rule, right? Mom was human. That put me on the outs with the rest of my kind. They don’t take well to mixing blood.” Lily found a tattered sleeping bag spread out over cardboard and a tarp and sat down on the ground.
Shay tilted her head and took in the teenager. “That your corner of this Eden?”
“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. Yeah, this is all mine. Everyone knows not to touch any of it. I’d know who did it. Part of my weird powers.”
Shay went and crouched down next to the pile of books. Hemingway, Kafka, Harry Potter. “Interesting mix.”
“Yeah, well, thieves can’t always be choosers. I like to read and I need a steady supply of books.”
Shay stood back up, brushing the dirt off her hands. “What weird powers do you have, exactly?”
Lily looked up at her, narrowing her eyes. “I know that look. Like I’ve suddenly become a useful tool. No thanks, not interested. Look, I saved your life up there because I don’t like watching the steel boots take out a woman, especially a kick ass one. I saw what you did to a bunch of them up there.”
“And you still managed to get ahead of me. Pretty impressive.”
“I know the territory better than you. Micro-knowledge of the area and they weren’t looking for me.”
“And…”
“And my weird powers. I
