The Genius Freak and The Bad Boy

Chapter 14

The door opened with a loud gush of air.

Phew, never thought it was that compressed, talk about paranoid.

Well, I wasn't called the Genius Freak for nothing.

The loud thumping of boots got louder and soon, just before we could run for it, two arms wrapped themselves around me.

I let out a battle cry as I headbutt the guy and stepped on his foot, like that move we were thought in dancing class when we were in junior high.

"Huh, never thought it'd be this useful in the future," was all I could think of before another came barreling towards me in a rush.

I braced myself for the pain but was pulled away with a yank on my wrist. I didn't bother relaxing my scrunched up face as I popped an eye open to peep at who was dragging me.

Ryder was there, with that determined look. His hair was messed up but it didn't fail to give him that clichéd bad boy vibe. Even with bruises marring his face and body, he didn't let it act as a flaw, instead, he somehow managed to pull it off and it just made him look that much hotter than he already looked.

Did I really think that in the midst of everything going on?

Please pretend you didn't hear that.

Ryder fought off a guy who was blocking the way to our freedom, locking eyes with me for a brief second before Tia pulled me along, nearing the exit door which Ryder almost slammed the guy against before realizing it might block our only chance of getting out of this hellhole. In the last tick of time, he smartly shoved the guy out of the way.

I could tell that the effort that it took him to shove the guy away and landing a few blows on him to make sure he won't be able to catch up with us almost took up the last bit of his energy.

I took a chance and did the thing that every horror movie character that I hate have always done. I looked over my shoulder and felt an instant wave of panic rush through me. I looked back at Ryder with wide eyes.

"Ryder, leave him let's go!" I shouted urgently at him but it seemed like he was either ignoring me or trying to practice telepathy with me from where he was fighting the guy.

News flash, you idiot: normal humans don't have that ability.

I didn't get to watch any longer since right at that second that the door wasn't blocked, Tia pulled me out after her onto free grounds, under the open sky, and away from the mouth of the tunnel.

I dug my heels into the ground, not wanting to leave without Ryder. I couldn't leave him there. He'd be killed. For sure.

I know I've only met his cousin a few times but just by that quick meeting earlier, I knew he was not one to be messed with. I'm glad that I sent the boy whose identity I stole away as soon as I saw the look Craig had on his face when I entered his office.

The sounds of the fighting were getting further and further as Tia dragged me but when I dug my heels into the soil, she finally noticed that I was fighting her and was trying to run back into the tunnel.

"Are you out of your mind?! Let's get out of here, Luce!" She shouted at me frantically and in that moment, I realized that she was scared. Despite how tough she looked; she was actually scared inside. Despite her skills and ability to take down her opponent, she was still scared to meet an opponent stronger than her. Strong enough to beat her and finish her off and she was probably scared that that opponent was one of the men inside that tunnel.

"I can't T, I can't leave knowing Ryder's in there, fighting for himself." I told her with despair dripping off my voice and Tia looked at me like she was torn.

"Go, this is my choice." I told her sternly, I knew she was hesitant in going in there again and I didn't want to force that upon her.

Tia shook her head as if she was brushing something off and looked at me with a new spark in her eyes. "Don't you even think that I'm going to ditch you."

For a moment there, I felt my own eyes glisten as fresh tears filled them but I stood straight, breathed in deeply and held them back.

"Okay, let's go kick some butt then," Tia grinned at me, this time with no sign of reluctance.

"No, I have a better idea but you gotta help me sneak in." I told her with a gleeful tone in my voice and I dare to swear she looked at me like I was a murderer but she nodded anyway.

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Minutes later, we were dragging yet another guard across the floor and kicking his unconscious ass into the nearest closet. I locked the door and bent over, resting my hands on my knees.

"Seriously, how many followers does this guy have?! Eleven guards and yet another one?! He's nuts." I ranted breathlessly to Tia.

Tia smirked, "And you're dating his cousin."

I blushed furiously and glared at Tia weakly.

"We're not dating." I said in a clipped tone but she just looked me over, unconvinced and skeptical.

"Liars will go to Hell, Luce. You shouldn't lie. White lies won't do you any good," she chastised me, copying how my mother would always sound when she caught me red handed.. stealing cookies from the jar in the kitchen.

I glared at her playfully before ushering her to what I pray was the control room. Computers? Check. A sleeping dude? Check. Yep, control room.

I gave the signal to Tia but I realized that she wasn't even behind me. She had already figured out the plan and was one step ahead of me. She dusted the then empty chair and bowed, waiting for me to sit on it. The previously sleeping guard was now unconscious for different reasons other than sleep on the ground next to the chair.

I held in a laugh, trying to suppress my smile but failing miserably as I sat and got busy with the control panel.

I messed with it, I didn't know what I was doing exactly but I did what I always did; follow my instincts. It was their idiocy to have men on guard but only protected their tech security with '12345' as a password.

Amateurs.

I hacked into their system and messed with the walkie talkie right beside the panels. I took two of them and set them into a private channel so that only two of us could communicate with it.

I passed Tia some earphones and hooked it up on her, making sure that the walkie talkie can't slip. "Check. Can you hear me?" I tested and she nodded. Her smile had faded and she has stopped making attempts on reassuring me that she was alright.

"Look, Tia, you don't need to do this. I'll figure out a way and bring him out of here. You can walk away. I don't wanna push you into doing something you don't feel 100% about." I repeated myself.

"Are you kidding?" She stared at me blankly, looking distant but her eyes met mine and it was like their trying to drown me with the intensity in them.

"I ain't doing those kind of shit, Luce. I'm not bailing on you. Not now, not ever. So shut the hell up and tell me what to do." She said a bit harshly but I guess I was used to it by then. I've accepted that it came in a packet with being her friend.

I brushed it off easily and smiled at her, "Let's kick some butts then."