Runaway (The Knight Society #1)

I spent the next three weeks fluctuating between training with Uncle John, hanging with Avery and Ed or the Command Room crew, and waiting. I started to resent the green flash I would see every night. The waiting was torturous and I started wishing something would happen already so this whole thing could be over and done with. As with all things, time caused people to forget. Everyone passed the first mongrel attack off as a fluke and the wary tension that used to blanket the Institute dissipated. I didn’t allow myself to grow comfortable. To grow comfortable was to become careless and when you were careless people ended up dead. So despite having everyone around me shrug off the attack like it was nothing, I kept my sword strapped to my back at all times, made sure I had an extra knife tucked away in one boot and three vials of H-toxin tucked in the other.

“Hey guys, I come bringing gifts!” I called out as I pushed my way into the Command Room, a box of hot pizza balanced in one hand. Five heads shot up and seconds after I placed the box on the table they leapt on it like savages.

“Ughh Jack, you are a goddess.” Charlie moaned around a piece of pizza. The others gave mumbles of agreement and Beemer gave his signature grunt. I grinned at them but realised Drake was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s Drake?” I asked and Jenko said something that sounded like ‘patrol duty’ but because of the food stuffed in his mouth came out more like ‘pafol dupy’. Chloe, certainly the neatest eater of the bunch heaved an exasperated sigh. A sound I had come to learn was frequently heard within the Command Room.

“I’m surrounded by a bunch of savages. Jack you are my only respite from these cavemen.” The others simply snorted and grabbed more slices of pizza. I barked a laugh.

“I-”

My voice was drowned out by a loud blaring alarm. Everyone jumped and the Command Room crew leapt into action. In the time it took to blink everyone was seated at their stations rapidly typing away at their computers. I glanced down at my Beeper and felt my pulse speed up at the red light flashing back at me.

“Get me who pushed the alarm and their position now!” Chloe barked and within seconds the map of the Institute appeared on the screen. A quick survey of the screen showed one of the usually green dots was flashing bright red. My blood ran cold as I read the name next to it.

Drake.

I quickly scanned the map for his position and took off out the door. I sped through the Institute, slamming through the front doors and quickly veering off to the right. I rounded the corner to find the battle had already begun. Drake and another Knight fought against twelve mongrels, but it was clear to anyone they had no chance of survival if backup didn’t arrive soon. Unsheathing my sword I quickly joined the fray. After I killed one of them, the other mongrels took notice of me and three of the remaining eleven split off and started towards me. I couldn’t help but grin. I’m always being underestimated. I tightened my grip on the sword and they launched at me. I heard the sound of footsteps behind me and caught the sight of Pierre and the others joining the battle but I kept my attention fixed on the three mongrels in front of me. The distance between us shrunk and I brought my sword up and swung it into the neck of the nearest beast, spraying blood everywhere. It collapsed to the ground and I managed to cut another mongrel on the shoulder before it got back up again. Something launched at me from the side and I dived away but the mongrel managed to slice across my stomach. It was a shallow cut and was mostly healed by the time I rolled to my feet. On and on the battle went but I kept focused on my opponents and finally we were surrounded by dead bodies. Thankfully, none of them human.

Glancing around I took stock of everyone, making sure there were no serious injuries before my gaze settled on Drake. He looked pretty beat up, blood ran from a cut in his forehead but otherwise he seemed fine. The weight that had been pushing down on my chest seemed to ease and I let out a sigh of relief. I was about to turn away when a flash of movement caught my eye. I focused back on Drake and watched as the bushes behind him moved. I opened my mouth to shout a warning but it was too late. A mongrel burst out of the bush and barrelled towards Drake.

I knew what was going to happen next and a scream, tore from my lips. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, the mongrel leapt onto Drakes back, its teeth sinking into his shoulder and they both crashed to the ground. Drake screamed and I started running before I realized it. The mongrel unclamped its jaw and sunk its teeth once more into Drake. Who let out another scream before falling deathly silent.

“NO!” I screamed and with a quick swing of my sword the mongrel lay dead at my feet. I pushed its body of Drake. Scrambling over to him I tried to ignore the blood seeping out of him but there was so much. His eyes were closed and his skin was already losing its colour but I could feel a faint pulse. Suddenly his face faded and was replaced by Thomas’. The emotions of that night came rushing back, piling on top of the emotional storm that was riding me now.

No, I refuse to lose another person I care about.

My throat closed up and my hands shook as I reached into my boot for the vial of H-toxin. I quickly removed the cap and plunged the sharp tip into his arm. Pushing down on the plunger I watched as the miracle serum disappeared into his body.

“Come on. Come on!” Someone was chanting and it took me a moment to realise it was me. I stared at the wounds, willing them to close and after a moment of nothing happening, I reached back into my boot and injected him with another vial. Finally, oh so slowly, the wounds began to close and I let out a shaky breath. I was vaguely aware that the others had gathered around me. I removed the last vial from my boot, injected it and finally the wounds healed, until all that was left was smooth unblemished skin. His chest rose and fell, in slow measured movements and I watched the movement intensely. A hand came down on my shoulder but I barely registered it. Uncle John bent down on the other side of Drake and gave me a concerned look before gathering Drake in his arms and standing.

I wanted to stay with Drake but as soon as Uncle John had picked him up I saw the bright red puddle of his blood and I was frozen. I had almost lost him, just like I had lost Thomas.

Love you Jackie-Boy.

Love you too Tom-Tom.

It was so tempting to just get up and leave. To walk out the Institute gates and never look back. Because if you never got close to anyone, you never got hurt, and oh god, it hurt. It felt like every fibre of my being was being ripped apart and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I needed to stop looking at the blood, to talk a walk and calm down but my eyes were stuck on the crimson liquid. It seemed as if my whole world was drenched in the stuff. It was soaked into my skin and no amount of scrubbing would every get it out.

The hand on my shoulder gave a small squeeze and I latched onto the movement. Its presence was like a light guiding me out of the dark and finally I managed to tilt my head to discover who owned the hand. Avery stared down at me, worry creasing his features.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly and I wanted to laugh at how totally not okay I was but couldn’t manage anything but to stare at him. Somehow I got to my feet and his hands moved to my arms. Crouching slightly he lowered his body so he was at my eye level. A frown creased his brow. He brushed his fingers over my cheek his eyes resting on a spot on my forehead.

“You’re hurt.” Was I? I couldn’t tell, everything felt numb.

“Jack, please say something.” I could hear the raw emotion in his voice and see his eyes pleading at me but I barely noticed. My gaze was focused on the sun slowly dipping behind the horizon lighting the sky with incredible shades of pink and purple.

“Drake?” The word came out as little more than a hoarse whisper. I returned my gaze to Avery and the word. Anguish flashed in Avery’s eyes but he maintained that calm soothing tone.

“He’s still knocked out; Carroll says he’s fine and should wake up soon.” His arms wound around me and he pulled me into a tight hug but I felt limp in his arms. Avery was murmuring into my ear and I let my eyes close and soak up the warmth of his embrace. My mind felt like static and the next thing I knew I was standing in front of the door to my room with no recollection of how I had got there. Glancing down I took in my bloodied appearance and wrinkled my nose.

“I’m going to go and get cleaned up.” Avery reluctantly let go of my hand. He looked like he wanted to say something more but he kept his mouth shut.

One look in the mirror and I knew I desperately needed a shower. My clothes were soaked through with blood, my arms were also covered in the stuff and my face had tear tracts from tears I didn’t even realise I had shed.

I stood under the showers hot water long after all the pink tainted water had faded to clear. I looked at my reflection for a while after that and I understood why Avery seemed so worried, I was looking at a broken girl. Her face was sunken in grief, eyes puffy from tears and an expression that was reminiscent of a doll. It had taken years to pull myself back together after Thomas’ death and in one day I had plunged me back into that abyss of despair. I wanted to cry and slap myself at the same time. I was stronger than this; I needed to be stronger than this. I raised a hand and touched the mirror, my reflection following suit.

Closing my eyes I took deep steadying breaths trying to calm the chaos inside me. When I opened them again I no longer saw the broken doll in the mirror. I saw a girl toughened from years of loss and sorrow with determination burning in her eyes. I was out of the room in a matter of minutes; marching towards the scene of the attack at a swift pace, forcing myself forward, refusing to drown in the tidal wave of emotions. I was nothing if not a survivor; the past seventeen years had proven that.