The Strays

I looked at the bastards left to guard me, trying to work out the most effective course of action to kick their arses. I decided to use my uninjured hand to vault the last few seats that stood between me and my freedom. I made a quick sprint toward the exit, hoping to get there before the goons got to me. Unfortunately, they were faster than I anticipated, grabbing me just as I reached the door. Desperately I tried to pull away, but they were too strong, pulling me backward and throwing me onto the floor. I rolled down a few of the steps, trying to tuck in my arm so it wouldn’t get damaged as I tumbled. Finally, the momentum stopped; I was able to pull myself to my feet, anger coursing through my veins, but before I could take it out on my captors, I heard a loud thud and one of the guys came flying past me. I looked up at the exit. Linc was standing there with a happy grin on his face while Drew took out the other guy.

“Are you coming or what? We don’t have all day, you know.” He complained as he finished the goon off with a roundhouse kick to the chest.

I stumbled up the steps, falling into Linc’s arms. “I’ve got you. Now let’s go before backup arrives.”

Drew strode ahead as I placed my uninjured arm over Linc’s shoulders, using him to help support my weight as we left. The three of us made it outside and stopped around a corner a few yards away from the building.

“What are we doing here? Where are Ty and the others?”

Linc put a finger to my lips to silence me. “Leo’s getting us a ride. Ty and Colt ran inside to cause a distraction so we could get you out. They should be here in the next few minutes, as should Leo.”

The time Drew, Linc, and I spent in silent anticipation killed me. It felt like it was about to last a lifetime. We didn’t even know if they were able to make it back out. A million different scenarios ran through my mind, most of them horrific, but I couldn’t fathom why I cared. They left me; they accused me of betraying them; they treated me like I was the enemy, so why did I care what happened to them? As I saw them both sprinting through the door, I smiled with relief and that’s when I realised something. I’d gone soft. I was so used to having these people around to help me, I’d forgotten what it meant to do things on my own.

Just as the boys rounded the corner, a dark transit van pulled up in front of us. My body tensed as I prepared to fight, but the others just smiled.

“Son of a bitch actually pulled it off.” Colt sighed, sliding open the side door as Leo popped his head out of the window.

“All aboard.” He laughed, putting his foot on the gas to rev the engine.

Linc helped lift me into the van, before disappearing to sit with Leo in the front. This allowed Drew to grab hold of my waist and support me as I got settled.

“Thanks.” I whispered half heartedly, settling into a corner by myself, not really in the mood to talk to anybody.

Leo drove like a maniac all the way to the border. Then, just before we arrived, the van came screeching to a halt.

“We should journey the rest of the way on foot, Leo. You and Linc should ditch this thing before it’s spotted. We’ll meet you at the tunnel. Once everyone’s together, we can then head home. No man left behind at this point.” Colt stated calmly as everyone climbed out. Drew offered me his hand to help me down, but I swatted it away, having regained most of my strength in the drive.

“I’m fine. I don’t need your help.”

“Okay, jeez, no need to get pissy. I was just trying to help. What the fuck’s gotten into you?” Drew snapped back.

I brushed it off and shoved my hands into my pockets, embracing the burning pain that coursed through my body as I powered ahead. Once I reached the tunnel, I waited for the others to catch up. I perched on a nearby rock and waited as I tried to force the memories of my last visit out of my head.

Colt came and took a seat beside me, a kindness in his eyes I hadn’t seen before as we waited for Leo and Linc.

“Piss off.”

“I came to apologise for the way I treated you before. I shouldn’t have judged you so harshly.” He explained.

“What part of piss off are you struggling to understand?”

“I was just trying to apologise. I was wrong and I can see that now.”

I rose to my feet and looked him straight in the eyes. “Quit acting like you’ve had an epiphany since Wraith grabbed me. You didn’t judge me harshly. You basically accused me of being a traitor, a plant sent to destroy my friends, then to top it off you turned Ty against me. I couldn’t give a shit why you’ve suddenly decided to be so kind to me. Just fuck off.”

“I’m trying to make amends because I recently discovered we aren’t all that different. In fact, we’re both here because it’s where we were told we needed to be. Though I get the feeling you’re still hiding stuff. Tell me, why aren’t you more beaten up? What exactly did you and Wraith talk about whilst he had you?” The pleasant facade soon melted away, revealing Colt’s true suspicions and motivations.

“So much for trusting me now, huh? I didn’t tell them shit. They wanted to know about you, about the E.A.D and who broke into The Sanctum. I said I didn’t know. That’s the answer I gave and repeated a thousand times.”

“How come he didn’t hurt you? I mean, he didn’t even bother to lock you up, he just left you in that room, unbound, practically unguarded.” Colt’s accusations came flying at me once again.

“Wraith didn’t hurt me because he knew the pain wouldn’t break me. Instead, he chose to play head games. He used my best friend against me and then threatened everybody I loved, but I still didn’t give in. I didn’t even tell him when he threatened to turn me over to Delilah, the one person in this city I have a genuine reason to fear, because I would rather die than betray the people I love.”

I got up and walked away, making my way through the tunnel alone.

“Indie! Indie! I know you can fucking hear me, so wait up!” Drew yelled, sprinting after me. I continued on my way, my pace increasing.

He grabbed my arm, spinning me to face him. I ripped it free with a scowl. “What the hell are you doing? Where are you heading to now? We’re supposed to wait for Leo and Linc.”

“I’m done Drew, I’m leaving. I told Leo my stay at The Paragon was temporary and I was leaving as soon as I’d recovered. I’m all healed up now, so it’s time for me to go back to doing my own thing. I wish you and your new friends the utmost success, and do me a favour, tell the others I said goodbye. It never was something I could quite get the hang of.”

Drew looked at me in disbelief. “Seriously? After everything we’ve been through, are you just leaving? No explanation or anything, you’re just gonna abandon us.”

“I’m not abandoning you!”

“Really? Because this seems like a textbook definition. Then again, you were always a master at running, weren’t you?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Given that we risked our lives to go back for you, I feel the least you can do is try to explain it to me.”

“That’s exactly why I have to go. You lot are a liability. My connections make me weak, they can be used against me. Rocky is proof of that. I put everyone at risk by staying, but at least on my own I am the only one I have to worry about. It’s easier for me to do my job if I go, because I can put my life at risk, but I can’t do that with you or them. I’ve gone soft, and that ends today. From now on, it’s me against the world. Which means it’s up to you to help protect them, earn their trust, show them you can change like Linc and Ty.”

“But we’re your faction.”

“No, you’re not. I don’t have a faction. I don’t have anyone.”

I turned away and started walking, fighting the urge to turn around with every step, knowing that Drew was just standing there, watching me leave behind everything I loved.

A few months passed, and I was still in the city, needing more time than I anticipated completing my assignment. I spent the time tracking Wraith, Rocky and The Elites. I wasn’t too concerned about The Hellraisers as I was aware they were simply mindless thugs, bent on causing chaos and destruction. I didn’t see much of The Strays after that day in the tunnel, either. I only ran into Ty or Colt on occasion whilst working, though none of us knew what to say. In fact, most of the time we just pretended our paths hadn’t crossed at all. Seeing them was a reassuring comfort. It meant they were all okay, which I felt was largely due to my absence. I felt secure working alone, knowing the only person I had to worry about was myself, at least until I heard what the Elite Enforcers were planning.

You see, on one of my raids, I managed to gain access to one of their radio’s. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep it for too long in case they noticed its absence. Nevertheless, I was able to get my hands on it long enough to work out their frequency. This frequency was one I could tap into on a radio from my safe house. I was so proud of myself until I got home and heard what they were planning.

I quickly discarded the speaker and sprinted across the open-plan room to a metal staircase that led to the ground floor of the warehouse below. I wandered over to the back corner and pulled off a duvet cover to reveal my old motorbike, coated in a thick layer of dust. Time had worn it down a bit and parts of it were rusted, still I was hopeful it would hold out long enough for me to get to my friends. Sure enough, the vehicle held up, carrying me back to The Paragon without incident.

I parked up in the rundown parking structure that lay abandoned, half collapsed beneath the South side of the shopping center, hurriedly using an old delivery entrance to gain entry to the building without anybody spotting me.

Cautiously, I crept across the ground floor to my old room, hoping that Leo hadn’t thrown out my things. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief when I opened my wardrobe to see my arsenal was still there. I grabbed a stun gun, a compact Glock 45 and my retractable bo staff, then I headed for the stairs leading to the first floor and the cafe.

I extended my staff and gripped it tight. I was unsure what I’d find at the top, but much to my surprise, there was nothing, not a single person, enemy or otherwise in sight. Something was very wrong. Usually you could hear the younger kids. Their laughter would echo throughout the building, bringing it to life. Now it was eerily silent, in essence dead.

My paranoia was in overdrive as I nervously walked to the other side of the shopping centre, hoping to find some sign of life in anybody’s room. I checked out Leo’s place first. I was hoping he’d left some sort of clue as to where he was. If he hadn’t, that would confirm that my deepest fear had come true. Before I’d even made it to the door, I knew something was wrong. The window that lined the side of his room lay shattered on the floor. It looked as though somebody had combed through it. What I found when I walked inside was no better. His room was a mess, comics strewn across the floor, furniture smashed just like the window. There was a fight, a big one, which meant I was obviously too late.

I decided to check the clinic, then the rest of the rooms, one by one, in case anyone had managed to escape and hide. That’s why I was so relieved when I found Willow hiding in her wardrobe with the twins, Frankie and Baird huddled in her arms, their faces stained with tears. “Where are the other two? The older ones?” I asked as I helped Willow to her feet. That’s when I noticed their faces peeking out from a pile of clothes buried beneath her bed.

I sent the kids off to play, then sat with Willow on her bed. She tried to hold everything in, but as soon as the kids left, she burst into tears. Her strong facade finally shattering. I wasn’t really sure how to react, so I just embraced her, holding her in my arms as her tears soaked my shirt. Once she finally stopped, I grabbed her shoulders, gently forcing her to face me. “I need you to calm down and tell me exactly what happened? Where is everyone?”

“Tali betrayed us. She led The Enforcers here. The kids in the clinic were able to flee while Stitch and the others bought them time. They got out safely, but our guys, Leo, the others, they got caught.” She sobbed.

“How did you get away?”

“Leo set up new traps and silent alarms after you left, but didn’t tell anyone. One of them sounded, so he told me to take the kids and to hide. I wasn’t to come out under any circumstances. I asked him what he planned to do, and he insisted he’d help the others protect our home. I did what he said, shaking every time I heard footsteps outside. At one point, I had to cover Frankie’s mouth because she was so scared, she literally had a panic attack.”

I didn’t know what to do. My brain just shut down. I was alone, my friends were in trouble, and I doubted my ability to save them by myself.

“Indie, why are you here? Ty and Drew said you left the city.” Willow whimpered, wiping away her tears.

“It’s complicated, but I’ll explain it all to you once I return our friends. For now, though, you need to head somewhere safe. The kids too.” I quickly scrawled the address of the safe house on a piece of paper, then handed it to her. “This is where I’ve been staying for the past few months. Take the kids and you’ll be protected. It’s not only well stocked with food, medical supplies and all that stuff, but it’s also one of the most secure places in the city. More so than this place. Nobody will bother you there. I need to leave to try to save our friends, but if I’m not back, there’s an address on my computer, the password to which is on the back of that paper I gave you, along with the code to get into the building, there are people there who’ll be able to help you.”

I got up and started to leave, but Willow grabbed my wrist. “It’s a suicide mission, Indie.”

“Probably, but it’s my fault they’re in this mess, so it’s up to me to fix this.”

I left the room and walked back to my bike, having finally made a decision about what I had to do.

I drove over to The Sanctum and parked my bike up front, leaving my bo staff on the seat as I walked up to the front door. I’d barely made it to the front gate before the two enforcers approached.

“Evening boys, I hear you’ve been looking for me.” I grinned nonchalantly as they realised who I was. Both guys grabbed an arm each and forced me inside, not even bothering to search me, which was honestly insulting. Once we were inside, I was dragged to the main stage, where the ghosts of my past eagerly awaited me.

“You know, if you wanted to see me all you had to do was call. You really didn’t need to go to all this trouble to get my attention. Then again, you were always one for theatrics.” I called out as I headed toward the stage.

Delilah scowled as she watched me approach, obviously irritated by my attitude, which made this whole thing all the more enjoyable.

“Who knew it would be so easy to coax the illusive Caelyn Lewis out of hiding? All these years I’ve had people chasing you, hunting you across the country and all it took to reach you was a few irrelevant strays. I’m actually quite disappointed. You’re not as fun as you used to be.”

“I think you’re finding it less fun because I’m not playing by your rules, instead I made my own. You see, I’ve done a bit of soul searching, even managed to find myself since the last time we met, so the mind games aren’t going to be enough to make me stand down, nor are the threats to the people I care about.”

Delilah laughed menacingly, her tone sadistic as she approached me and grabbed my chin. “You might think you’re all tough and intimidating now, but we both know you’re still the same scared, pathetic loser you always were. That won’t ever change. I must say, though your taste in men has drastically improved, I’ve found your new friends to be quite interesting and amusing little playthings.”

I could feel my blood boiling as her words made my skin crawl, and for the first time since my capture, I started to struggle against my restraints. “You leave them out of this. It has nothing to do with them. This is between us!”