Chapter 22
Footsteps and voices erupting from the tunnel echo in my ears. My eyes open to find Travis and Ty have already woken up and left. Cano lays at my feet, golden brown eyes fixated on Billy. The last time I saw him was in the Radio Room when the Colonel called us in after dinner. I glance around the basement and realize Heather isn’t here either. She must have taken the shift on the radios last night after I fell asleep.
I flip my head upside down and use my fingers to brush through my knotted hair before tying it up in a bun. With a yawn, I glance around the almost empty basement and realize that most the Guerrillas have already put their sleeping bags away and are now gone. What time is it? Blurry eyed, I squint at the round kitchen clock on the wall next to me. It’s 6:15 in the morning. I slept in.
Once my sleeping bag is rolled up and put back on the wooden shelves with the others, I go searching for Ty and Travis. Cano’s black body almost blends in with the dark tunnel as he strolls alongside me. When we reach the only open door in the tunnel the hum of voices assures me that someone is inside.
Standing front and center is Ty. He pulls an arrow back on his bow as Allie watches quietly from the side. At the same time he releases a deep breath, his fingers release the wooden arrow. It spirals as it shoots forward until piercing the target’s red center.
“You did it!” Allie exclaims as she jumps up and down excitedly.
“Thanks.” Blood rushes to Ty’s cheeks, turning them beet red. He smiles back at her. Neither of them have seen me standing behind them.
“Great job Ty!” I call out. “You’re getting so good.”
They both jump when they hear my voice. With blushed cheeks they both smile at me.
“Thanks.” Ty replies quietly. He looks past me at the hatch door and asks, “Where’s dad?”
“I don’t know. I thought he was with you.” I say, equally confused. My eyes shift through the warehouse quickly until I realize that Travis is nowhere in sight.
“He was gone when I woke up.” Ty replies casually. Without looking at me, he pulls another arrow back on the bow. The red paint on the arrowhead looks like it’s fresh. He must have done it while I was sleeping this morning. I’m not surprised that he painted it that color; it’s his favorite.
My teeth chew on my right cheek’s inside as I wonder where Travis could be. Why wouldn’t he have woken me up if he were leaving? I can taste a metallic flavor when I bite a little too hard. As I swallow the bloody saliva, I remember something. Yesterday in the Radio Room Colonel Kirk Samuels was making plans with Chris. Travis could be in there helping them.
I flip around and begin heading to the door where Cano’s loud barks echo from the tunnel. “I’m going to check the Radio Room.” I call out over my shoulder. “You two wait here.”
As I approach the opened hatch door I’m caught off guard by someone popping their head up. I recognize the girl immediately from the course yesterday. Katie told us her name is Kay. Behind her, two more people follow. The two men were the ones who helped her out of the boxes when she fell.
She stands before me and flips her long black hair to the side, revealing a biohazard symbol tattoo where she had shaved on one side. The light bounces off the endless piercings above her stretched ears. She could wear a garbage bag and make it look cool. When she catches me staring at her, she flashes a smile and winks a brown eye.
“Hey.” She says. Her stained red lips on her pale face make her look like a pinup model.
“Hey.” I reply.
“Isabelle, right?”
“Yeah, and you’re Kay?”
“Yep, that’s me. And these two losers are Justin and Leon.” She laughs playfully.
I remember Katie telling me about them yesterday. They’re the ones who built this course.
The man she kissed yesterday steps up beside her; along with the other one. Their opposing skin tones look beautiful as they intertwine their fingers. I focus on the men and notice their similar facial features; it’s obvious that they are brothers. When they turn their heads to glance around the warehouse, I note that they have the same green biohazard tattoo. Both of theirs are behind the same stretched ear on each of their scalps. It’s like a family crest branded on them.
“If you’re looking for your hubby, he left early this morning with Chris, Chad, and Katie.” Kay says, bringing my focus back to her. Her tongue flicks the hoop in her bottom lip as she locks her eyes with mine.
“What? Where’d they go?”
Her broad shoulders shrug in response.
“They’re tracking a Grey One.” The man beside her speaks up.
“Trying to.” The other one says, his tone doubtful.
They’re tracking one of those monsters? Why didn’t Travis tell me before he left? He’s not the type to leave without saying anything. This doesn’t make sense. They brush against me as they begin walking towards the obstacle course.
Before they go too far, I throw a hand up, stopping her boyfriend. “Wait.”
His dark green eyes stand out dramatically as he stares at me, “Yes?”
I pull my hand away from his muscular bicep and continue, “Did they say when they’d be back?”
“Nope.” He replies. His fingers dig into his back pocket and pull out a pair of black and green gloves.
As he slips on the gloves, Kay calls out from the side, “Let’s get this done Justin.” She looks at me and smirks, “You’re welcome to stay and observe how the pros do it.”
Before I can respond, they take off running, one by one, towards the obstacle course. While the guys climb up the quarter pipe shaped walls in front, Kay uses the rope to climb her way to the top.
Justin sprints up the wooden wall with a long arm stretched out and pulls himself to the top effortlessly. He only stands on the platform for a second before he vertically leaps up another two feet. One hand catches him on the wall’s edge above. His other arm swings upward, landing next to the first. His fingers tips bite into the wood as he pulls himself up.
The narrow ply board shakes under his thumping feet until he reaches the end. Without stopping, he flips over to the side. Like an acrobat he catches himself on the aluminum ladder turned monkey bars pressed against the wall. Twenty feet below his body is nothing but boxes. He swings his legs back and forth as he hangs there breathing for a moment.
While he begins to pull himself up, Kay flings herself forward using the swinging rope. She flips through the air twice before catching herself on the ladder. The way they fly through the air reminds me of the performers we saw at a Vegas show on vacation two summers ago.
“Get it, Leon!” Justin shouts. He’s standing on top of a rung, watching his brother.
Leon leaps off the wall, joining them, as they maneuver around one another. They dive and flip through the air, catching themselves on random places I never would have considered. I stare in amazement while Kay uses what looks like wooden shelves to run alongside the wall.
“Mom, this is so cool.” Ty says in awe. He hasn’t even batted an eye. He’s too mesmerized by their abilities.
Kay does a double front flip before catching herself on the rope in front. Her body swings back and forth as she cheers enthusiastically. I’ve never seen anything like this before. It looks so… exhilarating.
The guys finish by doing double backflips into the box piles in the center. They land a few feet apart, disappearing beneath brown cardboard.
When Kay drops to the floor, from ten feet up, she tucks and rolls her body. As she rises to her feet, a wide grin spreads across her face, showing off her pierced dimples again.
Loud clapping echoes throughout the room from behind me. I twist back and find that the noise is coming from Jace. He’s staring at Kay with narrowed eyes, like she’s his prey. Oh no. I know that face.
“Parkour?” He says, still focused on her.
She raises an eyebrow and replies, “You know how?”
He shakes his head. “No, but I’ve always wante
d to learn. You should teach me.” His voice trails off when Justin steps up beside her. He has sweat beads dripping down his forehead. His muscular arm flexes when he wraps an arm around her waist. His chest puffs out as he shows his alpha status.
I have to sink my teeth into my bottom lip to keep myself from laughing at yet another one of Jace’s failed attempts. I choke back a chuckle and turn to Kay.
“I’m Kay, by the way.” She says back to Jace. With a thumb pointed back, she continues, “This is Justin, my boyfriend. And his brother, Leon.”
The guys both force a smile at the same time, their green eyes bouncing around us. Yup, definitely brothers.
“I’m Isabelle. This is Jace, a new friend. And these kids,” I nod my head down, “are Ty and Allie. Ty’s my son, Allie is his niece.”
She shifts her eyes back to Jace and asks, “So you want to learn?”
With Justin still zoned in on him, he stumbles over his words, “Um… Yeah. That’d be cool.”
“What about you guys?” She says shifting her eyes to me.
“Sure. It’s not like I have anything else to do right now.” I reply.
They spend the next hour and a half teaching us the basics. For a warm up, we jump up and down on chairs. Once our muscles are warmed and stretched, we move on to jumping over tables. It doesn’t take long for them to teach us the simple basics. And right when I’m beginning to think that this is easy, they move us on top of the course.
I catch myself on the opposite wall and push my toes into the ply board. My fingers bite into the top as I pull my body up. My legs dangle over the side as I sit down and pant heavily. It took a few failed attempts, but I think I’ve got it now.
Jace follows right behind and laughs. “This is too easy!” He yells proudly. He pulls himself up beside me and continues, “When are we going to do the hard stuff?”
“You wanna do the hard stuff?” Kay laughs.
“Yeah, girl. The things you’ve been having us do are so easy, they’re stupid.”
She turns her head from side to side and smiles at Justin and Leon. They both grin widely, revealing their bright white teeth. When they nod, she says, “Let’s take it outside then.”
“Why outside?” I ask. I feel like a child on a slide as I slide down the quarter pipe wall.
“The playground is a lot bigger outside.” Justin replies as Jace slides down the wall behind me.
“I’m down. But, let’s make this more interesting.” Jace says as he walks past the group.
“How?” Leon asks with a notable attitude.
Jace steps up to the weapons table and crouches down. We all watch as he digs both arms through a box underneath until returning with a paintball gun and goggles.
“You want to go paintballing?” Justin snorts.
“What? You scared?” He replies tauntingly.
“Boys.” Kay speaks up, turning the attention to her. She spins the hoop through her lip as she thinks it over. “Paintball-Parkour? I like it.”
While Justin and Leon roll their eyes, a smile spreads across my face. This actually seems like it could be fun. As long as no looters or aliens make an appearance.