Chapter 14

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Bertha, turned out to be the name of Marcus's truck.
Why in the world someone would name a vehicle Bertha was beyond Emma.

Newt gave her a cheeky sort of smile, running his tongue along his teeth.
He was definitely enjoying the ride, and less couldn't be said of anyone else. It was definitely nice to not have to walk, and to take this chance to rest their sore legs.

Forty minutes driving around lazily curved dirt roads, into the mountains
they were eventually forced to stop.
Abandoned, rusted out vehicles blocked the rest of the way.
"Well, I guess we're on foot."

Peering into empty cars as they passed them, Emma exchanged wary looks with Newt and the others. Something just didn't feel right about this.

Tossing yet another look at Brenda, Emma's brow creased in worry.

Walking over to Thomas, she pulled him aside.
"Thomas, how long has she been sick?"

"How--"

"I just know, okay?" She whispered.  "How long?"

"A couple hours, maybe. She uh, she got bit." Thomas looked down.

"She got bit? Where?"

Before Thomas could answer, out of nowhere, sharp pops of gunfire were spraying through the air.

"Get down!"

"Take cover!"

Her heart pounding, Emma closed her eyes, mentally trying to figure out the direction of the shots.

"Hey, is everyone okay out there?"

"We're fine," Teresa called back from somewhere behind them.

"Newt, Minho?" Emma called.

"We're fine love."

Emma let loose a sigh of relief.

"Anyone know where those bloody shots came from?!"

"I'm thinking we've got at least five or six snipers targeting us from behind. We make a move, we're dead. Those were just warning shots." Kyra said.

"Warning shots?! Those were just warning shots?!" They heard Frypan exclaim.

"That son of a bitch, Marcus," Jorge growled. "He led us into an ambush."

"What do we do?"

"Here. Hold this." He handed Thomas what looked like a homemade flash grenade.
"We gotta create a diversion. You get ready to chuck it. You get ready to run," he said to Emma.
"Everybody! Get set to sprint back to the truck! And hold your ears! Ready? One, two........"

Tensing, Emma readied herself to run, but at the same time terrified for Newt, and the others. How far would Thomas be able to throw it?

"Drop it."
There was the clink of a bullet falling to the ground, and the very familiar sound of a gun being reloaded right behind them.
Slowly turning, the three saw two young women standing behind them, both sixteen or seventeen at the oldest.
One had a medium olive look to her skin, dark hair pulled back in dreadlocks, while the other had fair skin and pale blonde hair, both with scarves covering their faces.
"Now! I said drop it! On your feet. Let's go. Let's go! Move! Back up!"

"Easy," Jorge said as he, Emma, Thomas, and Jorge were forced backwards to where the others were, holding their hands up.

"You two, over here now! Come on, let's go!" The girl with dreadlocks ordered Minho and Newt.
"Don't be stupid, Move! Slowly--" Her eyes froze as they settled on one member of their travel weary group, a light flickering in her eyes.

Echoes ~ (Book Two of The Elite Series)Where stories live. Discover now