The Strays

“Cae? Quit messing about. We need to get back.” Ty’s words echoed through the tunnel. “I’m not kidding. I get that you’re annoyed, but now really isn’t the right time to throw a bitch fit.” As he exited the tunnel, he looked around. I wasn’t anywhere in sight. He scanned the area. While canvassing the immediate vicinity, he noticed something rather strange, a graffiti tag that wasn’t there before.

“What’s going on? Where’s the girl?” Colt called to his friend as he appeared from the tunnel, but Ty didn’t take notice. He was too absorbed in trying to work out the meaning behind the tag. Colt tapped him on the shoulder. “Didn’t you hear me? I was calling you. Where’s Indie?” He looked over to see what Ty was so fixated on. “Fuck. This is bad news.”

Ty’s head whipped around and he slammed Colt, head first, into the wall. “What do you know, asshole?”

The boy coughed, gasping for air as Ty tightened his grip. Colt tapped the wall desperately, and the older boy let go. Air rushed into his lungs and he choked slightly on the intake. Once he had his breath back, he explained himself. “That is the mark of Trojans, Wraith, to be exact. I made his acquaintance when Rocky grabbed me. I was passing through his territory. The Scavengers and Trojans have a pact, an alliance, but it’s completely off the records. Nobody outside of this sector knows about it.”

Ty walked away, toward the direction of the fresh tyre tracks that he’d noticed. Colt grabbed his arm, but he ripped it away. “I’m going to get her. I came along because I was supposed to stop something like this happening, except I lost sight of that when I was dumb enough to let you make me doubt her. If we go back alone, Leo, Stitch and Linc won’t forgive me.”

“It’s what he wants, us trying to save her. If he didn’t, he would’ve killed her and left the body for us to find. Indie is safe, she’s bait. They took her alive for a reason. That’s a positive thing, I know because that’s how Wraith works. The moment we chase after her, all bets are off, which is why we need to regroup and form a strategy of our own. The only thing you can do for her is get reinforcements.” Colt explained.

Ty knew the kid was right and sighed, doubling back toward the tunnel. “Fine, we’ll head back and get some support, but I’m not giving up on her. Indie may be a pain in the arse and, if you tell anyone I said this next part, you’re dead, but she’s a lot like family to me. That means we’re getting her back. Now tell me everything you know about Wraith and his crew.”

The boys both made it back to The Paragon in one piece, Linc and Leo both relieved to see Ty, Drew not so much.

“Where the fuck is Indie? You were supposed to be looking out for her!” He snapped.

“I know, I get it.. We fucked up big time.”

“What went wrong? You’ve been missing for over a week.” Drew demanded.

“Our Scavenger source stabbed us in the back. We got caught, almost ended up meeting Delilah and her Enforcers, but because of Indie, we escaped. On our way back, I scouted ahead with Colt. She was missing when I tried to go back for her.”

Drew jumped on him, pinning him to the floor as Leo and Linc tried to tear them apart. “What do you mean by gone, asshole? What happened to her?”

Colt stepped in, helping Ty to his feet. “Wraith has your friend. We came back to work on a plan to rescue her, but we can’t do that if everyone kills each other first.”

Drew was quiet as he looked at the person everyone had been searching for.

“Why is he looking at me like that?” Colt wondered.

“I’m trying to work out what is so special about you that Caelyn would risk her life to get to you before Delilah, who apparently wants you just as bad.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Hellraiser, I know nothing about Elites being after me or this Caelyn girl, whoever she is..”

“Then why are you running and how did your arm get busted up?” Stitch snapped, losing her usually calm composure as Leo held her back.

“It’s a complicated story I don’t feel like sharing, not with people I barely know. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate you helping me out and getting me back on my feet despite everything you had going on. However, the only reason I came back here is because your friend Indie rescued me and I already owed you guys one. Once I help bring her home, I’m leaving. We’re parting ways and I really hope you don’t come looking for me again.”

Tali soon appeared, and she could see the tension escalating. “Linc, you, me and our new friend here are off to help Willow with the kids, then dinner, while your brother catches the others up on what they’re missing. You guys may not want to involve me or Willow in what’s going on. We appreciate that, we do, but that doesn’t mean we can’t tell when there’s obviously something going on. Common courtesy would be to at least give us the heads up when you’re going to do something that disrupts the lives of everyone here is trying to build.” She sighed as she escorted the two boys away. Leaving Ty to update Drew, Stitch and Leo on the matter at hand.

The four headed over to Indie’s room, and Ty updated everyone on the situation.

“Isn’t Wraith that incredibly dangerous sociopath who runs cyber security for The Elites? The same one that has suspected ties to multiple missing persons and murders?” Leo enquired, taking a seat at the computer.

“I’m pretty sure it is, given what Colt told me, anyway.”

“Then she’s in a hell of a lot more danger than we thought. She stole the information on this computer from Wraith, not intentionally. However, if you combine that with Colt’s breakout and Rocky’s betrayal, chances are he knows who she really is. That means he’s probably going to be pissed. We have to move fast before she breaks, or he kills her.” He stated pessimistically, his face pale.

“Why are we just standing here talking? If this were anyone else, she would lead the charge to bring them home. We should do the same for her.” Drew interjected, clearly feeling left out of the conversation as Stitch left to check on her clinic.

As the remaining three Musketeers tried to work out how on earth they were about to save their friend, Colt was having a hard time trying to avoid Linc and his persistent questioning.

“Why’d you come back with my brother? You could’ve just left him, kept running, disappeared. We’d have probably never found you again, so why didn’t you?”

“I’m the reason she stayed behind in the tunnel. I didn’t think she could be trusted because, honestly, someone like her seemed too good to be true. With what happened with Rocky, I wasn’t about to make any more mistakes by taking chances on girls I barely know. Even if they are travelling with guys that I have a passing acquaintance with.”

“Rocky duped you as well?”

“Damsel in distress, she made me think she needed help then her friends ambushed me, they were planning to sell me, but Rocky and her silent partner apparently changed their minds or had some sort of other plan they intended to put into play.”

“Indie ain’t like Rocky.” Linc sighed.

“You know her that well, huh?”

“Actually, we only met recently, but I saw what she was prepared to do to aid the people here, even when she was barely strong enough to protect herself. Indie thought you could help her, us, that’s why she came looking for you, but she still ain’t strong enough to handle whatever Wraith has in store for her. If you know anything that can help speed up finding her, we need to hear it. You said you felt guilty, that you stuck around to help her, so do that.”

Leo and Colt ran to join the others. Colt told them everything Rocky had done since she’d helped ambush him. Which helped the other’s plan.

“Obviously, Colt and Ty need to sit this one out. If this Wraith guy is as dangerous as we think, he’ll be expecting them.” Leo reasoned as the boys finalised a strategy, Stitch still keeping out of it.

“Can’t we use that, though? I mean, if he’s only expecting them, without reinforcements surely we have the upper hand because he won’t know how many of us there are. We could send them in first to distract the guards and Wraith, leaving the door wide open for me, you and Drew to sneak by unnoticed, find Indie, then get her out before rejoining the others at a fixed location.” Linc countered.

Ty nodded his head. “I like the second plan better. You’re not sidelining me, not after I fucked up. I left Indie behind, so I want to help get her back.” Something Colt agreed with.

“What if the two of you get caught, though? We’ll have a tough time getting you out without getting busted ourselves.” Leo reasoned.

“The same principle applies to our team as well. Ty and Colt might not hold their attention long, or something else could go wrong. They could get out and we could get stuck. This is a risk for everyone, but that changes nothing. We’re preparing to go back for her. Though I think we need to address what we’re planning to do if anyone gets caught.” Drew spoke up, playing devil’s advocate for both sides. “If anybody gets caught, we can’t go back for them. The risk is too high. Either you’re at the rendezvous by a certain time or you aren’t. If you’re not, then you’re on your own.” The outlier’s decision was harsh but fair, his point valid.

“Indie would never agree to that.” Leo argued.

“She isn’t here, which means she can’t have a say. If she were here, then we wouldn’t even need to discuss this.” Colt retorted, agreeing with Drew.

“Then it’s decided. We leave in twenty minutes. Grab whatever you need and meet at the front.” Ty ordered as everybody scattered.

……

“So, how are you finding your stay here, Cae?” Rocky grinned snidely as she came to check on me.

“It’s a blast. I love being held against my will, especially when I’m also being used as bait to lure my friends into a trap.”

“Ah, sarcasm, the ultimate defence when all else fails. You really shouldn’t be so bitter, though. I’ve got a proposal for you to consider, because Wraith is in such a generous mood. You can tell him what we want to know and we’ll let your friend Ty walk out of here alive when he inevitably comes for you. I get that it’s a difficult choice, so you can have an hour to think it over.” I hardly recognised the girl before me. Her callous nature sickened me as she left and I punched one of the seats in front of me out of sheer frustration, bruising my hand by doing so.

“Well, that was stupid.” Wraith teased, stepping out of the shadows. I hadn’t even noticed him come in. How long had he been standing there?

Instinctively, I recoiled as he approached me, wincing in pain as my hand automatically retreated into my chest.

Wraith raised his eyebrows, now only a few feet away. “Seriously?”

I took a step backward, cradling my hand. “Seriously.”

He sighed impatiently before leaving and when he returned; he came bearing a gift in the form of a first aid kit. “Give me your hand and I’ll patch it up before it gets any worse.”

I glared at him suspiciously.

“Just give me your goddamn hand before I lose my patience.” He calmly warned.

I reluctantly did as he said and offered my arm, which he took gently, placing my injured hand in his lap. “Why are you doing this?”

Wraith looked at me blankly. “You know why, it’s business and if word got out that a girl like you stole from me, business wouldn’t be booming.”

“That’s not what I mean. Why help me when you literally just watched my best friend tear out my heart and crush it at your behest?”

“Because I’m not a monster. I’m an entrepreneur. I don’t want you to suffer unnecessarily, and damaged goods don’t fetch nearly as much when they’re up for auction.” He confessed.

“Tell me, do you get some sort of sick pleasure from doing what you do? Manipulating people, turning them against everyone, everything they cared about, just so they’ll do your bidding.”

“You have me all wrong. I don’t break people. I find people who have been broken by the world, and I give them a shot at redemption. Whatever Rocky does is entirely her choice. I don’t force her to do anything. She’s actually one of the lucky few that has my trust in its entirety.” Wraith explained as he finished wrapping my bandage, sealing it with some sort of adhesive, instead of a safety pin in case I used it against him.

“The Rocky I knew wouldn’t delight in hurting people. You’ve done something to her, and I’m pretty sure it has something to do with your romantic relationship.” I withdrew my hand and moved a few seats away to distance myself from him. He was getting too comfortable, something I didn’t want.

Wraith laughed. “What me and Rocky have can be described as casual. She knows that and if you really believe I’m using sex to control her, then you don’t know her at all. I didn’t break Rocky. I gave her a faction, a home, a place to belong after you abandoned her. Meeting me gave her the opportunity to embrace whoever it was she wanted to be.”

My eyes narrowed. “I didn’t abandon her.”

“Really? How come you weren’t around when she needed you? Why weren’t you here for her when everything turned to shit?” He enquired.

“Perhaps it had something to do with the fact I was in a different city when shit hit the fan. I’d been running from police and social services for months. I couldn’t risk telling her where I was in case she accidentally told someone. As soon as I found out how dangerous it was here, I came back. I looked for her and when I finally found her again, she’d started a new life. She was looking after kids who were lost, afraid. If I approached her, I’d put all of it at risk. Periodically, I checked in on her though, then Delilah killed my brother and I realised I could never go back to my old life without getting people like Rocky killed. I thought it would be easier to let her forget me. I was going to tell her everything the other day, but that didn’t really work out as planned, given the whole abduction thing, you know what I mean.”

Wraith moved a seat closer to me. “Well, it seems you came back a little late. Now, about the ultimatum I sent her to give you, I want an answer. Tell me what I want to know and Ty will walk out of here alive. Defy me; you’ll find I’m not always this pleasant.”

I pretended to contemplate his offer, mocking his attitude. “You know what, I think I’ll take a hard-pass. Ty and Colt aren’t stupid enough to come back for me, especially when they realise you’re involved. You’d be better off either killing me or turning me over to the Elites because I’m willing to give you fuck all. I’m not afraid of you, or anything you might do, so give it your best shot. Do your fucking worst.”

Wraith leaned back, a disturbing smirk creating a connection between his ears. “Tell you what, here’s another deal. You tell me what I want to know or I find Ty, I find Colt, but I won’t stop there. I’ll find everybody you ever cared about. I will kill them in front of you one by one. Their cries of pain as it ends will fill you with relief, as you’ll be glad to know their suffering has ended. Each and every death of those you love, after this point will be on your hands. Their blood will mark you for an eternity, unless you give me what I want.”

“Cute threat. The answer’s still no. You can try to find my friends, but I put your chances of catching them at about seven percent. Even if you did, I doubt you’d be able to disarm my traps before they got away. Oh, and you’re also forgetting the part where Delilah already did exactly what you just described, so I have had plenty of time to put proper counter-measures in place to protect the people I care about.”

Wraith was about to threaten me further, but a loud bang, followed by chaotic screams coming from outside, distracted him. “Looks like your friends are here. I guess you don’t know them as well as you think.” He sneered, leaving to investigate. I attempted to follow him but was stopped before I’d even made it to the stairs leading to the exit. Wraith pointed at two of his men that were watching from a distance. “Keep an eye on her. She is not to leave this room. If she tries anything, you can restrain her by any means.” He ordered before disappearing through the exit, the green light casting an eerie silhouette as he left.