The Rogues

37- The Rising

Evelyn

I was running before I had time to sheathe my thoughts together. I hadn't a second to wait for the others—who knew what they had already done to him. I didn't give Beckett much breath to explain, and when under the fog of my mind I heard him say Dominic turned himself in to Detra, I almost didn't believe it.

"Wait, Evelyn!" Kyler called out, but the pain in his bones restricted him from following after me. I hadn't told them where I was going—maybe they had no idea. I hoped they wouldn't follow. Nonetheless, I needed to help Dominic...he would have done the same for me.

My feet trampled through the dirt of the forest floor, gnashing the crunch of dewy leaves and snapping gritty twigs and branches. My heart beat quickly under my skin, and I had to admit my thoughts weren't quite...there exactly. My power surged inside of me like never before, begging to escape, making me feel sick holding it in. Almost as if it was triggered when Beckett told me what happened. I pressed my feet on the ground and stopped, my lungs heaving in brittle breaths that patterned with the beat of my racing pulse. I peeked around--the same wooded trees hooded over me in every direction leaves toppling shadows and earth brushing the grass. Which way is even the Chamber?

I looked to my left, then to my right, trying to retain a bit of memory from when we went to the Chamber days before. But no matter how hard I looked, the woods appeared the same in every direction, an infinite repetition of bark and leaves and sun peeking through tattered branches. I felt a pulse of something, grasping me in a wave-like magnet. It pulled me to my right, leading a path through the forest, almost a single, screaming, 'The Chamber is this way.' So naturally, I confided the instinct and followed the tug.

My feet carried me all the way, and before I knew it, I was outside Detras gates. The Chamber stood in front, the devilish grey dome lined with troopers on every edge. I scanned over it—two troopers at the door, five along the wall, and roughly fifteen on the roof. Why were there so many? I brushed away the ponder and drove my focus back to its focal, getting Dominic.

Still, so many troopers stood in the way. There was no way of sneaking in or slipping under their vision-- that would be suicide. I needed time to think, but whatever was creeping inside of me had different plans. My ability made my hands inch, banging on the walls of my body to break free. The power led me in front of the gates before I could think it through. I had to use it. I needed to. And now was the perfect opportunity. Why sleuth when you can just walk in?

I inhaled a breath and peeked through the gate, the troopers armed with guns and razors, rakes tucked neatly into their belts. My heart hammered, a sweat forming on my brow at what I saw. As soon as my feet touched the grounds of the Chamber, every gun in the area was cocked and aimed at me. They had razors, which couldn't kill me, but sure as hell would hurt.

My head was made a target almost instantly. They knew I'd come. They hoped I'd come at least. It was too late now to turn back, it was too late to give up. Dominic wouldn't have given up on me, so I wouldn't on him. "Okay," I shook my shoulders and whispered to myself, "They want a show?" I clenched my hands, feeling the heat rise to the tips of fingers, the power in me pleading to escape, "I'll give them a whole damn performance."

Crack! bolts of electric bullets aviated towards me from the razors in an instant that felt all too quick. I lifted my hands, not knowing what my power would do or where it would take me, but when my focus was drawn, I felt that insurgent force ascending inside of me invoking a mind of its own. I let it crawl into my veins, flood into my bloodstream, pick at my muscles and bones. It opened its mouth, and I let it speak. I let it scream.