Perfect Preparation

Chapter 96: Zander

"Nina! Nina!" She heard her name being called out as she felt someone violently shaking her body. Her eyes felt heavy, but with a sudden slap to the face she shot up. Hand on her face staring at Mallix with fury in her eyes.

She went to try and swing back but he caught her arm, being too weak from the fall to fight against him, she let her arm fall limp to her side as he helped her sit up. "What's going on?! Where's Lain and Kaila?!"

"I don't know N, everything's gone! The car, the evidence...my wife! My little girl! Gone!" He shattered in front of her. Nina had managed to fall down a cliff nearly as tall as Mallix's six foot stature, surrounding them was more trees and nature.

In front of her Mallix collapsed onto the floor, a fresh set of tears sliding gently down his bruised up face carrying some of his blood away. "How did you manage to escape?! Lain and I saw you taking multiple hits at once when we grabbed Kaila and began running! I saw them throw you into the van before we got lost in the trees!"

"They thought they had me, it wasn't hard to slip out once I found the perfect window. It was mostly empty since most of them took off running this way after you guys. But I wasn't fast enough! They have my family Nina! Help me get them back!" He begged, his voice cracking in the process.

"Of course I'm here to help M." She gave him a look of sympathy, "what happened to James?! Did they get him too?!" She asked worried.

"I have no idea, I thought he was going to be here with you guys cause he wasn't in the van when I was there. He could be anywhere at this point. He could be running somewhere on his own, or they caught him after I left." He admitted.

Nina looked down with sadness as she lifted her leg to stand only for the sharpest of pains to shoot through her leg, freezing her in place. She screamed out in agony as the pain, that was unapparent to her a few seconds ago, now lit her leg on fire. "Hey don't move N." He lifted her up bridal style carrying both him and her up the cliff and onto the road.

He struggled carrying her the entire way, as his body was giving out on him he noticed they were finally getting to a closer part of town where small shops and stores were. He ushered the two of them over to the area crowded with people. It was all thanks to the kind old lady sitting at the bus stop waiting for her evening bus, who lended Mallix her phone so he could call up someone he hadn't spoken to in years. Seeing as they were too far from home to walk, he decided this would be their best bet seeing as he lived in the city.

He dialed the number in, just before he could send the call, he sat Nina's weakened body on the seat next to the woman. Stepping away for privacy he finally pressed the call button.

Z: Yo what up, who's this?

M: Z, hey man it's me Mallix. Devon's son.

Z: Mallix! It's been years since I've heard your voice dude, how's it been? Writing those sappy stories you used to make me read really got you somewhere.

M: What, um, no I was wondering if I could ask you of a favor.

Z: I don't know man, I'm kinda in the middle of something here. And after what happened back when we had our final gam-

M: Please Z, look my wife and girl have been taken from me! Please help me out here!

Z: Woah, wait, what! Dude your married! And you've got a daughter! I never thought I'd see the day. Hang on a minute is it to that hot chick you used to bring to practice all the time?

M: Yeah, yeah Z that's her. Listen, I'm stranded out in the middle of town, I don't know what to do, or where to start. Can Nina and I stay at your place for a bit?

Z: Woah N's with you too! This just gets better and better. Yeah let me know where you are and I'll come pick you up.

After ten minutes of Mallix describing the small shopping center, he handed back the lady her phone, and sat besides Nina. It wasn't long before a truck pulled up besides them, the tinted windows making it incredible difficult to see who was inside.

But as soon as Mallix stepped up to the passengers side, the window dropped revealing a man with blue eyes and blond shoulder length hair in his mid twenties wearing a muscle tee and shorts. "Hey dude, it's good to see you again. Hop in."

Smiling, Mallix lifted Nina up off the bench and sat her in the backseat, laying her legs across the seats as he got shotgun. "Hey N, you don't look too hot." He sarcastically laughed.

"I've been better. It's good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor, Zander." She quietly answered trying to keep her strength up.

"That looks terrible, we're getting you to the hospital to get that checked out." He drove as safely and slowly as possible to make the ride more comfortable for Nina. He didn't want to speed and hit bumps that would cause her any discomfort.

"I'm sorry about this being such short notice." Mallix apologized tapping his fingers anxiously on the arm rest besides him.

"Don't worry about it. So what happened? You said your wife and girls been taken...what do you mean taken?" Zander questioned seeing his buddy to the side of him fidgeting like never before.

Being wary and carefully choosing his words, Mallix explained the situation to the best of his ability. He could tell by the silence that was bestowed upon them, and the wide eyes Zander was giving him, he knew the situation was overwhelming him. Which he expected, he would have been more surprised if this didn't faze him.

"Are you sure you don't know the guys who kidnapped them?" He asked sitting in their room with Mallix, while Nina was getting tested for further injuries by doctors.

"No idea, but if I were to guess I'd say I had a pretty good idea of who was behind it all." He glanced over to his friend who nodded.

"Fendly's" they said in unison.

"It only makes sense, Alex warned me that this was a possibility. I just didn't think it was going to happen so fast."

"Here," Zander passed his phone to Mallix, "give him a call again. Maybe he can help us given his experience."

While Alex was now a law abiding citizen, his dark past didn't go unknown. Besides Mallix, Zander was the only other person to know of Alex and his history with the Cave. And right now both friends were counting on Alex to get them somewhere.
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Let me know what you think. Thanks Lexx signing off