We all reluctantly say goodbye to Shawn, Zac, Baxley, and Cara as we watch them fight their way back through the makeshift village to find the cabin at the bottom of the hill. Somehow, yet again, I have a horrendous gut feeling that something bad is going to happen.
Levi leaves the remainder of us on the steps of the largest building in the enclosed city to acquire the help of a few other citizens of Wonder Shield to make the journey with us. He assured us that who he chooses to go with us would be skilled in both combat and excellent marksmen.
“What have we gotten ourselves into?” I whisper.
“I hate that Zac isn’t with me,” Mar sighs. “Things are better this way, though.”
“What if we don’t like what we find?” Magi asks.
“I don’t think we will,” Jake answers. “How can we?”
We all sit in silence, taking in the sights of the city. We watch all its people readying themselves for a war. Even though the children run around playing, each one seems to know they aren’t quite safe where they are. If only they knew that there isn’t anything or anywhere safe for them in this world.
“Let’s head out,” Levi says as he walks up with two muscular men and an equally as buff woman. “This is Tim and Tom, the combat brothers, and this is Tina, their sister.”
“Look at the muscles on that one,” Samantha says, while scoping out Tim… Or Tom… Whichever it is that she is looking at.
“Are these guys good?” Jake asks.
“We are,” Tina says while crossing her arms across her chest. Her own automatic gun hangs across her shoulders, making her look even tougher than she did before. Tim and Tom have their own guns with special self-modifications. They all three have two-foot long swords hanging down their thighs in sheaths.
“Shall we?” Levi asks.
Without waiting for an answer, he walks us around the building and through the city to the other side of the fence. This gives us the chance to see the rest of the town on the way out. Levi motions for the guards to open the gate to allow us through.
As soon as we all cross the doorway, the gate slams closed again as to not allow a single second to let someone in that isn’t meant to be here.
“Didn’t Rae say something about all-terrain vehicles?” Samantha asks.
“She did.” Levi grins as he stops just short of a small guarded building. “Side by side ten, eleven, and twelve.” He says to the guard while handing him a piece of paper.
The guard motions for a group of men standing off to the side of the small building. The group walks up to the guard as he whispers his commands to them. One by one, the men go into the building through a large open part in the wall, and they drive a small four passenger vehicle out in front of us.
Excited, we climb in.
“They are small but fast, and can take us most anywhere,” Levi says. “Now let’s get to The Elected before we give them the chance to find us first.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
All together we have three of the small vehicles. The muscle triplets are in one, being driven by Tim or Tom. Jake drives the one with Eli, Mar, and I in it, while Levi operates the one with Magi and Samantha as his ride alongs.
Together, we cruise off road, cutting a quicker path to The Elected. According to Levi, what would have taken one-hundred miles and about four hours by truck to get to, will only take around sixty or so and will only take a little over two.
The closer we get to The Elected headquarters, the more my stomach grows sick. Is it possible that we will be that close to Syl and Shae for the first time in months?
“What if Rae is right and there is no way in?” I ask.
“Well, at the very least, we are finding things out for ourselves,” Mar assures me.
“You’re right, I suppose.”
“Of course, I am.”
We have gone many miles in a very short amount of time just as Levi had promised us.
Ahead of us, Levi slows his vehicle down, eventually coming to a complete stop. He jumps out of the side by side and runs over to Tim, Tom, and Tina’s already stopped vehicle.
“I wonder what’s going on?” Eli asks no one in particular.
“Don’t know,” Jake says absentmindedly.
Jake jumps out and runs over to where the men are congregating. They appear to be trying to figure out our next move. From where we are, I can’t see what is in front of the triplet’s vehicle to even guess what the delay might be.
After several minutes, Jake runs back over to us and hops into the driver’s seat.
“We have to go around or go back,” he grunts.
“Around what?” Mar asks.
“From where we are, it looks like The Elected have laced the road and field with planted explosives. We don’t need to take our chances. We will go around if we have to.”
I swallow, trying to steady my nerves. If we are that close to The Elected that they feel the need to plant mines, then there may not be a way in.
“Rae is right,” I say.
“What do you mean?” My brother asks me.
“They are prepared for an attack. There won’t be any way in, even if we tried.” I feel defeated even while I am saying the words. “Our best bet will be waiting for the war to start to save Syl and Shae, and that’s only if they send them out, we find them, or if they are sent out in our area.”
“What
