Something in the Woods

chapter 27

The majority of the ride to the base was spent discussing how the three were gonna get Barrett, Tymere was very stern about how he wanted this to go, it had to run smoothly not only for Barrett's freedom, but their own as well! Katie wondered if she would be tried as an adult if the military got caught, but she didn't want to ask; the last thing she needed was another thought weighing her down. The kiss was already doing its best to scramble her brain.
The young girl glanced over at Byssa, her ripped jeans and denim jacket made her look like a punk biker chick who shouldn't be messed with, but the softness in her eyes melted any intimidating style she was going for. It still seemed unreal that someone as hot as her would like a girl like Katie, is this how Jean felt in issue sixty-three after Vex confessed her feelings to her?
"So, what made you think I liked girls?" Her mouth went dry as she tried to fumble out words.
Byssa perked up at the sudden question, then suddenly looked away to avoid eye contact. "Well, I didn't know exactly… but I figured you probably weren't straight because you read Galactic Territories."
"That doesn't make me gay!" Katie huffed.
"Oh come on," A playful smirk curled on Byssa's lips. "Galactic Territories is the only comic with gay characters in it. No one reads it for the story."
Katie wanted to object, but even she knew Vex and Jean's relationship was one of the top two reasons she started reading Galactic Territories, her cheeks grew hot at the mere thought of their relationship.
Katie's silence must have left an awkward presence in the air, because Byssa's playful smile disappeared. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed…"
"No!" Katie blurted out. She didn't know what she was thinking, thoughts that she once suppressed were now ready to boil over. "It's fine, I just never talked about this with anyone before."
Byssa nodded. "I don't blame you."
"Truth be told, I don't know what I am." Katie admitted. "I always thought I liked boys, but I've thought about girls too and ever since we started to hang out, I've been so confused!" A sigh released from her lips as she slumped down in her seat. "I wish my feelings would just pick a side already!"
"Who says you have to figure it out now?" Tymere chimed in.
Katie snapped her head over to the older brother who had been quiet through this whole interaction. "What do you mean?"
"Look you're young, you have a whole lifetime to figure out your identity, why do you need to put a label on right now?" He questioned.
Katie turned towards Byssa. "But you seem to have it figured out."
"I didn't always." She giggled. "I used to think everyone was gay but pretended to be straight. I was gonna do just that."
"Also Byssa's a different person." Tymere added on. "Some people got themselves figured out early on, and others need some time to figure themselves out."
"But how will I know?" This was so frustrating, Katie didn't want to deal with this right before the heist!
"Something will just click when you realize. Byssa said softly. "I can't explain it, but you'll just know."
Her words hung onto Katie as she listened to Byssa, the soothing tone in her voice was like honey. It was like seeing a completely different side of her, a side that Katie wanted to get to know more.
"You don't have to come out just yet," She continued on. "But if you stick around, I can guarantee you won't have to figure it out alone."
Her hand brushed up against Katie's, causing her cheeks to burn more. The warmth that radiated off was a comforting feeling she wasn't used to feeling, the temptation of entwining her fingers with Byssa's crossed her mind. But then she glanced out the window, to see the opened portal glowing in the distance. The blue light formed into a pillar that broke through the snow clouds that hid the sky from them, its eerie glow illuminated the snow that danced in the wind. Months ago, that light was filled with mystery and wonder to Kaite, but now, it was like a clock tower that got brighter the closer it got to closing. Time was running out for Barrett, and Katie knew he had to be her priority first.
She pulled away from her friend's hand. "Let me talk to Barrett first, then I'll decide."
A glimpse of sorrow could be seen in Byssa's eyes but she quickly blinked it away and nodded with a soft smile. "Sure, I understand."
Before Katie could respond, the jeep had slowed to a stop on the side of the road. Tymere turned to look at the girls. "We're here."
Katie's heart pounded on her chest. This was it, the final hours before Katie had to decide which friend she would choose to be with.
~~~~~
A tightness knot formed in Tymere's stomach as he pulled up to the entrance. The guard posted at the gate was the same older man who had checked him out, and now Tymere knew he would have to come up with a reason why he was back.
"Granite, I thought you had to leave." He asked.
"Yeah, it was just a family emergency, but I took care of it." He lied as he handed the guard his ID. Anxiety crept up in Tymere as he feared that the guard would know about his plan. He'd know the girls were hiding in the trunk and he would be arrested on site!
But instead of all that, the guard just gave Tymere his ID back and opened the gate for him.
Tymere smiled and drove through and went to the parking lot. As he stepped out he surveyed the area around him to see if anyone was around. Fortunately, it seemed like all soldiers would be busy trying to get the transfers ready for Barrett. Once he knew it was safe, he opened the trunk and the girls popped out from under the blanket they were hiding in.
Katie adjusted her glasses and looked around. "Which way to Barrett?"
The girl nearly ran off before Tymere grabbed her arm. "Hold on, this place has a lot of soldiers around. We need to lure them away from where Barrett's at."
"That's where I come in." Byssa smiled and pulled out a box of firecrackers from her pocket.
"Do you remember which areas to set them off from?" He asked.
"North of the hangar and east of the west gate."
Tymere nodded. "Good, and you remember where to go after you set them off right?"
"Head straight to the hangar." Byssa replied.
"And you know how to avoid any soldiers?"
Byssa rolled her eyes. "Don't worry bro, I got this."
"This isn't a game, Byssa!" Tymere snapped. "I can't have you getting caught by anyone."
"I know, I just don't want you getting stressed over me."
"Well, I've always been stressed over you." He shot his sister a smirk.
"Oh, shut up." Byssa laughed and threw a soft punch at Tymere's arm. "But we got a job to do."
Raiding a military base with two teen girls and he was relying on his little sister to set off firecrackers. This plan sounded like a disaster, but it was all Tymere had. He had to have faith that Byssa could pull it off. He pulled out a walkie talkie and handed it to Byssa. "If anything goes wrong, you go to channel four and call me. I'll head where you are in a flash."
Byssa nodded and wrapped her arms around her brother. "I love you."
"I love you too. Stay safe."
Byssa smiled as she pulled away from the hug and turned to Katie. She took her jacket off and handed it to the young blonde. "Take this, so you can stay warm."
Katie shot Byssa a puzzled look. "Shouldn't you keep it on you?"
"You'll be the one riding on Barrett's shoulder when we break him outta here. So you should keep it with you." She shoved the jacket in Katie's arms.
Katie seemed reluctant to take the jacket, but she accepted it and slipped into it. The sleeves were a bit long but other than that, it fit her well. "How do I look?"
Byssa gave her friend two thumbs up. "Totally awesome!"
Tymere smiled at the girls. It was great to see his sister look happy again. "Alright, let's get going."
"See you soon." Byssa said, before darting off towards the hangars.
Tymere held his breath as he watched his sister run off until she was too far for the human eye to see. His mind raced with thoughts of how everything could go wrong for Byssa, but the soldier had to do his best to ignore his fears. Swallowing the knot that had formed in his throat, Tymere turned to Katie.
"Come on, let's get to Barrett."
~~~~~
The gravity of this situation had finally set in once Katie could hear the first set of firecrackers going off in the distance. Byssa sounded so confident that she wouldn't get caught but that didn't shake the sick feeling of doubt from Katie. If something happened to Byssa, Katie wasn't sure she could live with herself. However, the plan was working, all soldiers seemed to be drawn away from the hangars by the ruckus.
"For some reason, I thought there'd be more soldiers to get through." Katie said as they walked towards the hangars.
"Yeah well, your friend requires a lot of manpower to be moved around, more so when it's supposed to be discreet." Tymere replied. "I betcha everyone is trying to figure out how to move him into a truck without being at risk."
Katie scoffed. "Like he would ever want to hurt anyone."
Tymere nodded. "If they just tried to talk to him like an actual person then maybe Barrett wouldn't come off as intimidating to them, but people fear the unknown and do rash things when they're scared."
"And you're not scared of doing this?" Katie asked, her mouth went dry as the words spilled out.
"What do you mean?"
"Just that you and Byssa didn't have to risk losing everything to help me free Barrett." Her voice went quiet as she finished her sentence, she almost regretted saying that for fear that Tymere would suddenly change his mind.
"And you don't?" He scoffed.
"I mean, I do…" Katie shrugged. "But you are risking your job and losing custody of your sister for Barrett, that's more than what I have to lose."
"Listen, not many people get to choose their family, but you do, and you could be losing all that." Tymere stopped walking to turn towards Katie, his gaze was stern as he locked eyes with her. "Whether you want to choose to start a family with Byssa, or Barrett, or even David; you're risking a lot, kid."
"Then why are you helping me do this?" Katie asked.
"Because I can't go on with my freedom knowing someone else is denied their's." The soldier said as he marched forward.
Katie smiled. "I'm glad you and Byssa decided to help me."
Tymere shot a smile back but then glanced ahead and saw the hangars coming into view. Knots formed in both of their stomachs as they knew there would still be some guards lurking near where Barrett was held, despite Byssa's distraction. Tymere turned to Katie. "Whatever you do, stay quiet."
Katie flashed a smile and gave an improper salute to him, it would have been funny if they weren't committing treason.
Tymere scanned his surroundings before taking Katie by the arm and scurrying to the nearest Hangar. They pressed their backs against the white building as a vehicle drove past the hangar; thankfully, the driver didn't see them. But one thing the soldier noticed was that the driver was driving away from where Barrett was held, they had to be leaving because of the distraction. Tymere knew they had to act fast. He motioned for Katie to follow him and crept out from their hiding place. The coast was clear for now, so they bolted down the road and took cover in the shadows whenever they heard other soldiers nearby. They did this until they finally reached the hangar where Barrett was.
Katie and Tymere had snuck over to a jeep for cover.
"So he's in there?" Katie whispered.
"Yeah."
"What are we waiting for?" Katie peeked her head out before Tymere pulled her down.
"Careful, you can't be seen." Tymere scolded. "Commander Price is guarding the entrance, I gotta draw her away."
"Okay, then what should I do?" She asked.
"Stay here, til I give the all clear." Tymere ordered.
Katie seemed like she wanted to protest but she nodded. Poor girl was getting antsy to see her friend again, but she needed to lay low while Tymere lured Price away. After taking a deep breath, Tymere slipped out from his hiding spot and staggered towards Price.
"Granite?" She called out when she saw him. "I thought you left early?"
"Martin told me I needed to come back." Firecrackers erupted in the distance. "Good thing I did too!"
"Do you know what that sound is?" She asked.
Tymere shook his head. "No idea, but I was told to release you from your station."
Price raised an eyebrow. "I was told by Humphries to stay here while everyone else checked on that noise."
"Well, Martin told me to take your spot and you go check out the noise."
"Why didn't anyone radio me about this?"
Tymere just shrugged. "Look I'm just as confused as you are, but orders are orders."
"Why does everyone have to pull this crap when we're trying to transport the beast?" Price scoffed. "Where did Martin want me stationed?"
"North gate."
Price nodded and grabbed her rifle. "I swear if this is Walls and McNee pulling a prank on-!" Price froze as she stared at something behind Tymere.
The male soldier followed her gaze to the jeep. He cursed under his breath, Katie must have peeked out. Now he's gonna have to improvise. "What's wrong?"
"Someone's over there." She said in a low voice.
"You sure?" Tymere asked nonchalantly.
Price nodded and raised her rifle. "I'm gonna check it out."
The woman began creeping over to the jeep. Her footsteps were silent, Tymere wondered if Katie even knew that Price had spotted her. Still, he couldn't let Katie get caught, there was only one thing he had to ensure that.
As Price went to the rear of the car, Tymere raised his rifle and followed Price. She had just turned to the side of the jeep before Tymere used the butt of his gun to smack Price in the back of the head.
Price let out a groan of confusion right before she dropped face first to the ground. Tymere quickly turned her on her back to get a good look at her face. She was definitely out cold and Tymere was going to be in so much trouble for this.
Tymere looked up at Katie who was crouched towards the front of the jeep, her eyes were totally widened at the scuffle that just transpired in front of her. "Thought I told you to lay low."
"Sorry." Katie squeaked. "But she was talking about Barrett."
Tymere sighed and looked down at the unconscious Commander. "Well, what's done is done. She'll be out long enough for us to get Barrett and get outta here."
Katie stood up and looked over at the hangar. "So he's in there?"
Tymere nodded as they made their way to the door. "Just know that he's been hurt for a while, but I think he'll be strong enough to make it to the lake."
Katie braced herself as Tymere opened up the door, warm air poured out of the hangar as they slipped through the door, their steps echoed off the concrete floors and onto the walls. The sound of chains rattled in the dimly lit room. Katie squinted her eyes to see a large dark figure laying down at the end of the hangar, there was no doubt it was Barrett! She eagerly rushed over to him, tears already pricking the corners of her eyes. "Barrett!"
The giant immediately sat up and towered over the girl. His eyes squinted then a small gasp escaped his lips. "Katie?!"
Katie practically jumped into his hands before Barrett had time to react. She eagerly squeezed his fingers as he scooped her up into an embrace. She had nearly forgotten what it was like to be held by a giant, warmth surrounded her like a protective layer.
"It's really you!" Barrett cheered as he pulled the tiny girl away from his chest.
When Katie looked up at her friend she saw the damage the soldiers had done, tiny scars had marked his face and neck. The collar of his shirt was stained with dried blood. The tears that were pricking out of the corners of her eyes had all but burst out from Katie.
"You're hurt…"
"I'll be fine." Barrett smiled. "I'm just happy to see you again."
"I told you I'd bring her back to you." Tymere spoke up.
"You did, and I couldn't be more grateful."
A small chuckle escaped from his lips. "Don't count your blessings yet, we still gotta get you outta here."
"Do you have a key to unlock these chains?" He asked.
Tymere shook his head. "No, but that's not necessary. All this money and the military still uses the cheapest metal for things."
"What are you talking about?" Katie asked.
"I can shoot the locks off!"
Katie felt the muscles in Barrett's hand tense beneath her, she turned around to uneasiness settle in his face.
"Are you sure there isn't another way?" His voice cracked as each word spilled out of his mouth.
"Not unless you want us to spend a lot of time trying to find someone with keys to the locks." Tymere said. "And then there's the issue of getting the keys!"
Katie understood his doubt. After all, why wouldn't Barrett be scared of guns? If this was  any other day, Katie would urge Tymere to find the keys instead, but they didn't have time. That portal is closing tonight and Barrett needs to get home.
"Barrett…" Katie's voice spoke up. "I think-!"
"I know." He grumbled. His hands shook as he lowered them to the ground and let his small companion slide off. Barrett glanced over at Tymere. "Just please be careful."
"I won't miss." He reassured the giant. "Now, lay your hands down flat."
Barrett sighed and did as he was told. The locking mechanism was placed in the middle of his wrist, the shiny silver look to it made Katie wonder if it really was as cheap as Tymere said it was.
"Hey," Tymere nudged Katie out of her thoughts. "Try and keep Barrett calm."
"Got it." Katie moved closer to Barrett, who still towered over them as he crouched down. Each breath he took was shaky and as Tymere aimed his gun at the lock on his left hand, the giant's breath only quickened.
One shot fired off, and a yelp jumped out of Barrett's throat.
Katie brushed her hand against his knee in soothing motions. "You're okay, Barrett."
He did his best to steady his breathing but tremors coursed through his body.
Tymere fired another shot and this time the giant jerked his arm away causing the soldier to stumble back. The boy was about to protest when Tymere jumped back to his feet. "Easy there, kid! I think I almost got it!"
Katie only saw a glimpse of the lock, but it was true, the shackles were banging loosely against Barrett's wrist. The lock could easily be blown off with one more shot.
"We're almost done, Barrett." She spoke in the most soothing voice she could muster up. "Just hang in there, for me."
"A…alright." Whined Barrett as he lowered his arms back down flat again.
Tymere's eyes stayed glued to the lock despite the giant's trembling hands; to an average person, hitting this target might not be easy, but Tymere trained for this. He never thought he'd use his skills to free a giant from the very base he was employed to… but at least he knew he was doing the right thing.
The final shot echoed through the hangar and the lock flew off the giant shackle. The chain that restricted Barrett's left hand slumped on the ground.
"YOU DID IT!" Katie cheered, however her friend was silent. She saw his face grow pale as his green eyes fixated on his wrist. Katie glanced over and saw sores and scabs that were now exposed to the air. Although there wasn't much to cause concern, there was still fresh blood oozing out of cuts that the chains were once placed. Tears pooled in Barrett's eyes and Katie immediately reacted by hugging his knee with her entire body, hoping her small frame would be enough to emulate  a hug that was large enough to comfort him.
"Please don't look." She urged him. "I'll only worsen your nerves."
"It stings so much." He whispered.
"I know, but it'll be okay."
"I wish my dad was here." His frail voice croaked out. "He always knew how to aid wounds."
Katie wished she could help Barrett out and cover those wounds, but how could she even do that. There were no bandages or Neosporin to aid someone of his size, Katie felt helpless, she could only try her best to keep him calm with her words.
Tymere, who was awkwardly standing by as Katie tried to soothe her friend; finally cleared his throat to get the teens' attention. "I'd hate to make you more uncomfortable but we need to get the other chains off of you."
Barrett didn't protest, despite his nerves. So the three repeated the actions of getting the chains off, which led to a more mild success in terms of Barrett remaining calm during the process. But he didn't dare look at the wounds on his right wrist.
A door suddenly slammed shut and everyone jumped, Tymere pointed his gun at the person at the door but he immediately lowered it once his eyes laid on the familier gothic teen.
He ran to embrace his sister. "I'm so glad you're safe."
"We won't be if we don't get outta here." Byssa hissed. Her eyes locked onto the broken and battered Barrett. "Hey, big guy…. Glad you're okay."
"I know what you did…" Barrett replied rather coldly.
Katie's throat tightened as she looked at both of her friends. A burning anger pierced into Barrett's eyes as he glared down at Byssa. After everything that happened, Barrett had every right to be upset at her. It took Katie so long to forgive her as well, but when she looked over at Byssa, she saw guilt plastered on her face. She didn't mean for this to get out of hand, all she wanted to do was keep Katie around. It's not like Katie hadn't been so desperate to keep someone she cared for around for a little bit longer. It took so long to get everyone back to her, but now it seems that they were going back where they left off.
"So thank you for coming back to set me free." A warm smile appeared on the giant's face.
"Ah well, I couldn't let Katie go on this mission alone." Byssa said, trying to act nonchalant but the corners of her mouth curled up faintly.
"Okay, I'm glad you two are making up but we gotta go!" Tymere urged as he grabbed his sister's arm. "We're gonna drive out to the car, you two follow behind us. If anything happens, Byssa will radio you."
Katie nodded and looked up to Barrett. "Are you ready to leave?"
"I've been ready." He chuckled.
Tymere flung the door open and ran out to the jeep with Byssa following behind but before she left she turned towards Katie, locking eyes with her. "Stay safe." She said softly.
Before Katie could respond, Byssa had slipped out.
"You know, once I step foot out there, it's going to get crazy." The giant said.
"I know." A deep sigh escaped her lips. There was no going back after this, waves of anxiety washed over Katie and she could tell the same thing was happening to Barrett, but they came so far, it was time to finish this. "Let's go."
Barrett gently scooped Katie up and deposited her on his shoulder. "Hang on tight." He said as he crawled over to the garage door of the hangar. He slipped his fingers underneath the bottom of the door and used his strength to pull it up; it didn't take much to get it to open for Barrett. He was soon met with the frigid air of the outdoors, snow had planted itself on the ground, and in the distance, Barrett could see the azure light of the portal glowing in the distance. A fire had lit inside him as he stood to his full height. Snow crunched beneath his feet as he took a few steps, then sirens could be heard in the distance.
"I think they know." Katie cried out.
"Head to the west gate!" Byssa shouted through the walkie talkie. "The guards are about to circle back!"
"Did you hear that?" Katie called out.
"Yeah, let's get out of here!" Barrett took long strides towards the gate, finally after six long months, he was finally going home.