Vires Academy: Super Powers

Chapter Thirty: The Beginning of the End

Chapter Thirty

‘Everyone who wishes to fight please come down here,’ Ms Lovejoy said as her eyes scanned the students.

At first nobody did, to scared to even believe their principle to be telling the truth. But then one person stood, and another soon followed. Beside me I felt movement as Pip stood, along with Aiden. Claire and Miffy were there too, just managing to slip in with their age. More kids got up but at the same time many would not budge. Grace was itching to follow her friends but she was too young and sadly grumbled beside Taylor.

I didn’t want to get up, I was scared and I couldn’t force myself to stand. Fear overrode my system and shamefully I watched as Blaze, Pip, Jett, and Aiden all walked down to the front. Sasha was about to follow them but seeing my hesitation she sat back down.

‘Its okay Ranger, you don’t have to,’ she whispered.

‘I’m sorry,’ I said and rubbed me neck nervously.

‘You’re saying sorry that you don’t want to fight for your life? That’s nothing to be sorry about,’ Sasha nearly laughed.

I bit my lip and looked down at the group of students who had volunteered. ‘Do you think they’ll be all right?’

‘I’m sure they’ll be fine,’ Sasha nodded.

Ms Lovejoy stepped up to the microphone once again. ‘Is there anyone else?’ Only a handful of students had elected to fight but even they still looked unsure. ‘Well in that case could the rest of you all follow Ms Laxford and Mr Laurance towards the East quarter where the tunnel is.’

So it was done, I left with no more then a final glance at the only friends I had ever known.

‘Hurry,’ Sasha pushed my shoulder as we caught up to the end of the line. There was a nervous and scared buzz about the students, some of them not able to talk and others breaking down so that their friends had to drag them along.

We followed the line, going deeper into the building and slowly edging further down to the foundations of the school. The line was halted in a large stone room, the air noticeably cooler this far underground. Ahead lay a thick metal door, a simple switch lock keeping it tightly closed.

The door was heavy, needing a couple of kids to help open it. Behind the door lay a thick metal grating, the bars new but rusted from the thin layer of water that dripped down the sides of the tunnel.

‘What do we do now?’ one of the older students asked as they tried to push the bars.

‘Here, I can clear it,’ another kid pushed their way to the front. Leaning down close to the bars his eyes began to glow red. Thin lasers shot from his pupils, emitting a hissing sound as they made contact with the bar. Slowly he raked his vision across the metal, corroding it away until he had chopped right through.

Suddenly the ground began to tremble, a vibration running through the stone and shaking us. Some of the students began to scream, instantly edging together in a huge mass as the rhythmic thump drove right through our bodies.

I moved close to Sasha, grabbing her arm as a small whimper left my mouth. With her mouth open Sasha shook her head before pushing me away and shouting above the noise.

‘Don’t just stand there. Hurry. We need to get through.’ This brought a few people out of their scared trance and soon the boy with the red eyes was going again, slicing through each of the bars until they clattered to the ground.

‘Come on everyone we can go though.’

They peered into the dank tunnel where no light seemed to reach. It was like a gapping hole that never ended.