The Darkness Overwhelms (The Gifted)

Chapter 8 Part 1

Lorna's Pov

Esme said she had something important to tell me she just needed to help Leah with something for a minute. I was sitting in the meeting room playing with a metal marble. I was just rolling it back and forth on the table to pass the time. 

Marcos was watching Dawn while John and I dealt with the Underground stuff. Eva had come up with a pretty good plan to have about three people from the general population of the underground to start help making decisions. She was setting up a vote to see who those people would be.

I just started to think about people who might be good candidates when Esme walked in with a huff.

"Sorry, I'm late. Leah was having some issues with one of the younger kids who got his powers early; he's a bit of a trouble maker that one." She said as she sat down across from me.

"So what did you want to tell me," I asked, pulling the ball back into my hand.

Esme looked down, "Right, that. I've been trying not to think about it. I figured out why the Inner Circle doesn't seem active anymore. They are only attacking small places in D.C. that's why we're not hearing about it."

"That's not good," I said slowly, absorbing the information.

"No, it's not. They're picking places that are used by the government but aren't important enough so that when they attack them they make national news. Sometimes their attacks don't even make the local news," she said. She looked down at her hands, "It seems like they're covering it up, either my sisters or the government, I don't know which one but someone doesn't want anyone to hear about this."

"It's probably a combination of the two. Sentinel Services have always covered up mutant attacks and the Inner Circle doesn't want us, or anyone else for that matter, to know what they're doing." I said as I rolled the marble between my fingers.

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. What don't we know? My sisters are planning something and I just can't figure out what." Esme said leaning back in her chair and pressing her lips together.

Andy's Pov

I needed to find out where Lauren was. She was running out of time. It's been a day since the dream.

I had an idea though. There was this old Underground contact that dropped off the map a few years ago and I think that she might be able to find her. I found some records that John kept about her and some of the stuff she did to help them, mostly just getting information and occasionally helping hide mutants. Hopefully, she could get the information I needed to find Lauren and get her out of that prison.

I slowly drove down the street that the record said she lived on. The houses were falling apart and the whole area looked overgrown. It seemed abandoned. Maybe I took a wrong turn somewhere. I glanced down at the paper that had the address on it, 4434 Grover Street. I looked at the street sign. Nope, I was in the right place.

I sighed, I probably came all the way out here for nothing. I drove up to the house, it was a little, one-story, yellow house with cracks on the siding and an overgrown lawn.

I walked up to the door and broke the lock with my powers. I slowly walked into the house, the floors creaking under my feet. There was a little sunlight shining through the boarded-up windows but other than that it was completely dark inside. I walked over to a light switch cautiously and flipped it but nothing happened. I turned back towards the rest of the house.

"Hello?" I tentatively called out. No answer.

I took a deep breath and cautiously walked farther into the house. I had my hand out ready to use my powers as I nudged open a door with my foot and the room was empty. I was just about to turn around as something hard hit my shoulder. I stumbled wincing and spun around.