Hope Striders: Onset of a New Genesis

By Ellyssa Muniz

Elias is working with someone. Someone who hides in the shadows. New challenges rise with an enemy more grueling than they’ve ever encountered. Kay would have to pull off something no one would expect to save the people she loves.

Join Kay on one last run through a crazy, mind twisting, unexpected upturn of the world of the Hope Striders.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664158320

Ellyssa Muniz

Ellyssa Muniz is excited to release her second book to her series Hope Striders. She has been overwhelmed with the support she has been receiving through the course of her release of her first book, Hope Striders: A New Beginnings End. She’s currently writing the third book and looks forward to hearing back from her readers. Ellyssa is currently working on her bachelor’s degree in social psychology at Southeastern University and continues to stay headstrong in her faith to drive on the force by giving God all the glory in all of her endeavors.

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Copyright © 2021 by Ellyssa Muniz.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 02/15/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

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CONTENTS

CH1

CH2

CH3

CH4

CH5

CH6

CH7

CH8

CH9

CH10

CH11

CH12

CH13

CH14

CH15

CH16

CH17

CH18

CH19

CH20

CH21

CH22

CH23

CH24

CH25

CH26

CH27

CH28

CH29

CH30

CH31

CH32

CH33

CH34

CH35

CH36

CH37

CH38

CH39

CH40

CH41

CH42

CH43

CH44

CH45

CH46

CH47

CH48

CH49

CH50

CH51

CH52

CH53

CH54

CH55

CH56

CH57

CH58

CH59

CH60

CH61

CH62

CH63

CH64

CH65

CH66

CH67

CH68

CH69

CH70

CH71

CH72

CH73

CH74

CH75

CH76

CH77

CH78

CH79

CH80

CH81

CH82

CH83

CH84

Epilogue

Jake’s Final Good-Bye

Letter To My Readers!

Fun facts about the Hope Striders Series!

This book is dedicated to every person who

has taken part in getting me where I am today.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To one last ride…

"It’s not hard to decide what you want your life to be about.

What’s hard, she said, is figuring out what you’re willing to

give up in order to do the things you really care about."

– Shauna Niequist

CH1

I flickered my eyes opened as I slowly lifted myself up from . . . a blanket on the floor? I rubbed my eyes but quickly regretted it when the smell from my hands found my nose. Ugh. I blinked away the blurriness, and I looked around the room. I thought it was the candle that lit my surroundings, but when I gazed over it, I saw the wax had already burned through. I turned my head and saw the bit of light coming from the hall. Was it daylight? I pushed up off the floor and stretched my arms out before a yawn took over my mouth. I walked over to the desk and saw a book spread open. I lifted it up and scanned the first line. Most of it was gibberish, but there were a few words that stood out—words like parasite, cure, and sycophant. I narrowed my eyes in thought and wondered what that could have meant for the person reading it.

I turned for the door and stopped when I saw something red catch my eye on the frame of the room. I leaned in closer and saw the crimson blood immersed within the wooden entryway. Was that my blood from last night? I pressed my fingers against it and saw that it was still wet as it hugged my finger. I wiped it on my pants and moved forward through the hall. When I turned my head, I saw the beads that hung from the doorway that led to the opening of the shop swing back and forth slowly as if someone had just walked through them.

I took careful steps as I came closer. I stared through the small slits of the dangling beads before pushing them aside and walking through. My eyes widened when I saw a figure sliding their hands across the shelf and pressing their fingers together to wipe the dust off their hands. She turned her head and smiled. Ms. Wormwood, a blast from the past, don’t you think? Her accent was still the same, thick and inviting.

My saddened smile was there as I saw Ms. Heckler limp around so she could face me completely. Her African dress was disheveled, and the vibrant colors I once knew her to wear were nowhere to be seen. Her face aged heavily, more than I could ever think it would. How long have I been gone for her to age this way? The wrinkles on her face were apparent mostly on her forehead, the crook of her eyes, and the side of her lips. Aside from the wrinkled skin, I could see it in her heavy eyes that something was wrong. She was weak, and the only thing that kept coming up inside my head were the three words that stood out from the book. Was she the one looking for a cure?

Ms. Heckler?

She slowly nodded once before the side of her mouth curved upward an inch. Yes, my dear, it is me. I know my appearance isn’t all that appealing, but—she lifted her one finger up and slowly wagged it—I have no doubt I’ll overcome.

Ms. Heckler, I—how? I took a step closer to hug her, but she kept her hand up for me to stop.

I don’t think it to be wise to come any closer to me. Her eyes warned me not to come near her, but that made me want to comfort her more.

How did this happen? How can I help?

I heard a small cough that seemed like a laugh. You’re always on rescue mode, aren’t you? I missed that about you.

Ms. Heckler, why are you like this? Who did this to you?

I’m sure you have so many questions. Her eyes closed shut as she slowly hunched over in pain. Despite the agony she was being inflicted with, she kept her hand firm in place to keep me stagnant where I was. I’ll be fine, she strained. After a moment, she let out a deep breath and then straightened up as much as she could. Perhaps we should sit down for this. I don’t think my poor old legs could handle more of this gravity. She gestured to two new chairs on either side of the table. When she sat down, I came around the table and sat a moment after. She chuckled lowly again. Seems like déjà vu, huh?

I looked around the room, and a small smile arose. Yeah, it does.

It seems so long ago, she breathed, staring mindlessly behind me. Her eyes flickered over to her hand where I had covered it with mine. She jerked it away from me. I said don’t!

My eyes widened in fear, but not for me, for Ms. Heckler. I knew she had news I didn’t want to hear. Ms. Heckler, please tell me what’s going on. Why are you hiding out here?

Her eyes wavered halfway as if she was falling asleep, but she kept them leveled and stared back at me. Everything changed when you went back to the past.

‘Yes, but I fixed it. I made things right again, I tried to assure her.

She leaned back in the chair and shook her head. Not everything, she whispered. My heart pounded against my chest, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I wasn’t ready for bad news. I wanted it to be the way it was supposed to be. That was the idea. I planned on confronting the deaths of my friends, and I was going to move on. Everything was supposed to be right again. What did I do wrong? What did I miss? Do you remember when Liam and I tried to contact you through the mind?

I thought hard, but then the memories swarmed in. I was in the Badden Outlands. I thought I was losing my mind when I heard Liam’s voice in my head. I nodded quickly. Yes.

Altamira was able to fix on your location, allowing us to contact you for those few seconds. Do you remember what he said?

He was breaking up a lot of the time, so I couldn’t hear him. There was something about things here were changing.

She nodded in agreement. Things changed—and not for the better.

But how? I fixed what Elias broke.

Perhaps he did something else you weren’t aware of.

That was a possibility, no doubt. Elias would never tell me everything, just the parts that made his story more fun to exploit me. How can I fix it now? Maybe I can contact Poppy. She should be here, I rambled on, but Ms. Heckler didn’t seem to care.

It’s too late.

It’s never too late. Tell me what to do.

She sighed. Embrace it.

I leaned back in my chair in defeat. What?

You heard me, sweet child. Embrace it.

How could you say that?

Because I have.

I leaned forward. What happened to you? Why are you like this? Who did this to you?

She looked elsewhere when she said, I don’t remember. They erased my memories of that part but kept only the torture.

I could only imagine what her mind was reliving. Why do you look sick?

Ms. Heckler coughed on the inside of her left elbow before addressing me. Because I am sick. They exposed me to a parasite. She pinched her fingers together to show the size. They’re small robot ticks that infest itself within your blood and attack from the inside out.

How do we kill it? How do we cure you?

There’s no way around my death, Ms. Wormwood.

Stop it! I yelled, standing up from my chair. Stop acting like you don’t care. I saw that book back in the room. You do care and you’re trying to find a way to heal yourself.

My outburst didn’t faze her, but there was a small tear that slid down her face. I’ve missed your stubbornness. Your team will need it. She pressed her hand to the side of her temple. They lost hope when you left. My chest heaved in sadness and anger and so many other emotions I couldn’t pinpoint. The way Ms. Heckler talked was as if she’d given up completely. There was no hope.

But there was one thing I didn’t understand. If I went to the past and then came back to my present time, how have they missed me? It would be as if I never left.

Movies do that to you when they tell you that time travel is a stop-and-go kind of thing. She shook her head as she leaned away from her backrest. You may have gone to the past and returned to your time, but life continues on. You didn’t come back to the point where you left. You came back where the timeline would have been set with all the changes that had been done in the past.

I rubbed my head in confusion, trying to digest her information. Time travel was nothing like I knew. It was worse. So I missed this entire life?

She thought on her own. Keep in mind, I’m not an expert of traveling between points of time, but what I do know is that your past-self, before you arrived, was running on autopilot. She wouldn’t have made decisions like you would if you were here. You would’ve just blended into the crowd and kept to yourself.

Then why are you talking to me like you knew who I was and not this boring Kay?

She chuckled slightly to my words as her head turned side to side slowly in thought. I, too, wondered the same thing when I first saw you lying down on my bed. I knew you were Katie Wormwood, the autopilot version, but something in the back of my head told me you were so much more. She stood up carefully from her chair. I have memories I don’t remember living, but if you were to ask me about them, I could recall it in every detail.

I don’t understand.

Her smirk dropped into something I couldn’t recognize. The timeline is broken. Everyone here is struggling to remember two separate memories—the life you knew them in and the one that was altered by—she squinted her eyes in thought—Elias? She chuckled. I don’t even know who he is, and yet I can tell you information about him I don’t remember learning.

I pressed both my hands to my head in fear and frustration. What do I do? I found her eyes in almost a plea. Tell me, Ms. Heckler, tell me what to do and I’ll do it. I’ll fix it. I can find Poppy and go back in time and—

No. No more jumps. You’ll only disorder it even more.

Then what do I do? I asked with a slight whimper undergoing my words.

Ms. Heckler came around the table to stand in front of me. I was surprised she didn’t hug me but kept the distance she was so adamant about making. Live this life. Be with your friends while you still can.

I looked at her incredulously. What? She nodded. You want me to give up?

I’ve seen you endure so much since you came into this shop. Don’t you think it’s time you set out to live the life you deserve? I wanted what she said. That’s all I ever wanted—to live a normal life—but thinking about it now made me feel selfish.

I shook my head as I took a step back. I can’t. I have to make things right.

Sometimes mistakes are not meant to be fixed. Maybe they’re there to learn from. I was so confused. For once, I felt so lost. I had no idea what to say or do, let alone know where to go from here. As if she heard my thoughts, Ms. Heckler smiled softly. I can tell you where one of your friends are. The rest move frequently to keep hidden, but I know someone who’s been constant—someone who’s always checking up on me.

Ms. Heckler, come with me, I said blatantly.

She looked at me with sorrowful eyes, and if I wasn’t mistaken, her eyes watered. I wish I could. She shook her head. But I can’t be on this mission with you, Ms. Wormwood. You must go on without me.

I took a step toward her, but she only retreated a step back to counteract our distance. I narrowed my eyes in confusion. What aren’t you telling me?

She sighed. Probably a lot, but I won’t know because I don’t remember.

Then tell me what you do remember.

Her head slightly tilted in curiosity. Please, Kay, go home. Live the rest of your life. You—

If you chose to die, then you have that right, but don’t tell me to stop living my life.

I’m telling you to do just that! Leave this horrible life while you still can. The people who are doing this to us are more powerful than Peace and Kai put together. I don’t even know how they’re doing it. There were so many components that just didn’t add up. I smiled, listening to her talk. She was slowly giving me something I needed. She was trying to remember. They knew who I was, and they—her eyes widened as she found my face in horror—they wanted information about you.

What kind of information? I questioned.

I don’t remember.

Do you remember telling them anything?

Her face fell as she slowly nodded. Yes. Tears fell over her cheeks. I’m so sorry.

I shouldn’t be surprised that someone else wanted me dead. It seems to be a common trend. The surprising part of all of this was Ms. Heckler folding over. I’d seen her stand her ground to multiple people who held their own stature. Who was strong enough to break her? She would need . . . more than one person. So Elias is working with someone else, but Ms. Heckler made it seem like there were more than just two people. Do you know how many people are pulling the strings?

I startled her when I didn’t mention her outing me. She thought on my question, but her lips curved downward. No. They wiped it all clean. Her eyes broadened. But I remember that each person was in charge of something they were skillful in.

Which is what?

She slouched. I don’t remember. I knew what she felt right then—the feeling of being helpless. I tried to comfort her, but she refused to let me touch her. Please don’t.

Why are you so afraid?

Because I don’t know what else they’d done to me. It’s better if you just go. She coughed heavier, almost stumbling into her chair as she took a few steps back to avoid me from reaching out to her. She eventually tripped over one of the table’s legs and fell backward onto the floor. I ignored her plea to stay away and rushed forward. I dropped to my knees and cupped her head underneath my arm to elevate her body. Her coughing hadn’t seized. They were strong and sickening. She seemed like she was going to cough up a lung. Her eyes widened in fear as she stared mindlessly at the ceiling. I hadn’t realized the white walls around her irises rippled with red veins. One of the blood vessels must’ve popped because it surged around the bottom half of her eye.

When her coughing stopped, her chest lessened, and that worried me. Ms. Heckler? I shook her gently.

Her eyes shifted over to me, and she smiled softly. It’s been a pleasure fighting by your side, she whispered. I was wrong. She placed her hand to my cheek. Don’t give up. Fight for them. Fight for yourself. Her fingers slipped away from my face, and her hand dropped to her side. Ms. Heckler’s eyelids closed shut as her body fell limp in my arms.

My breath hitched in the back of my throat in shock. My eyes widened as my lips parted at the sight of her. It was as if there was an elephant sitting on my chest and I couldn’t seem to breathe in more air. Ms. Heckler? I whispered, knowing she wouldn’t answer me back. I brought her closer to my chest and squeezed her tight. No, no, no, please, oh, God—please, no. I sobbed into the crook of her neck. I could feel the tears fall away from me and onto her shoulder. I clenched my mouth shut in hopes to keep the whimpers at bay, but the sobs pushed forward as I held my friend’s body in my arms. I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth as I rocked back and forth in a methodic rhythm. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her closer to me. Ms. Heckler? Please wake up. You have to wake up. My voice shook as short breaths burst uncontrollably. She didn’t deserve this. Ms. Heckler was supposed to live. I couldn’t lose her too, I just couldn’t. I leaned away to wipe my tears off her face, but something caught my eye. I pulled down the cloth of her dress to see the tattoo I saw lingering on the back of her shoulder blade. It was a symbol, the same one I saw on the drone from earlier. The arrow pointing up swooped down into a J with two vertical dots on the left side of it.

Someone branded her.

I kissed her forehead before I lowered Ms. Heckler’s body down onto the floor. I pressed the back of my hand across my cheek to wipe the remaining tears that lingered. I sucked in a deep breath so the frog could alleviate from my throat. I looked over Ms. Heckler’s body in defeat. I couldn’t leave her here. Not like this.

I stood up from the floor and went to the back of the shop. There was a small yard behind the building that allowed me to create a temporary burial ground for her. After a few minutes of scanning inside and around her shop for tools to dig a hole in the ground, I gave up and went on to the shops next to hers. There was a shovel two stores down. Oddly enough, those stores were abandoned and boarded up. I would come back to that later, but for now, I sat in the silent thoughts of my lost friend. I kept myself hidden, not to disturb anything to draw another drone’s attention. When I started pressing the front of the shovel inside the dirt, a tear fell as I continued to press the tool deeper inside the earth. The sound of the dirt pounding on each other next to me made me realize how real this was. I was burying Ms. Heckler behind her shop, the same place I had met her years ago.

When the hole was big enough, I slumped to my knees and leaned the side of my head on the end of the shovel and cried silently. I pressed my hand through my hair, knowing the dirt on my hands smudged itself across my cheeks and through the strands on my head, but I didn’t care. Halfway through, I was too weak to even hold the shovel and I let it fall inside the hole I had dug for Ms. Heckler. My sobs became louder as my eyes swelled up from crying so much. I leaned my head back as the breeze washed over me and dried up all my tears.

I had to continue on.

The fight wasn’t over.

I went inside the house, and I brought Ms. Heckler’s body back to the grave site. Once I placed her body inside the hole, I hurried back inside and rummaged through her room for anything that belonged to her. I came across her bookshelf and saw a few books that I knew she wouldn’t depart with. As I collected them, I noticed one felt oddly shaped from the rest, despite the structure of it compared to the others. I placed the others in my hand on the night table so I could fully grasp the book. I looked over the leather bound and traced my fingers across the bulging letters on the cover. It wasn’t a language I was familiar with, but something about it made me feel like I connected to it. The cover spelled out Stredwyr Gobaith. I noted in the back of my head to check what it meant later. I opened the book, and I saw an envelope with something bulky inside of it. That made sense why the book was so out of place. I slid the envelope in my hand and placed the book on top of the pile on the nightstand. When I opened the envelope, a heart-shaped necklace slid out into my palm. A small smile emerged when I saw my necklace she had given me breathlessly hanging over my fingers. I closed my hand over it and pressed it near my chest. My eyes watered as I nodded.

I came back outside with my necklace in my pocket and went over to her grave site. I lowered myself near her upper body and carefully placed my necklace over her head. It was always hers. I grabbed the shovel, and I covered Ms. Heckler’s body with the remaining dirt I’d dug from the earth. When the earth’s blanket fully draped her, I fell to my knees. I hung my head low as I slipped the envelope out of my back pocket. On the front, it said, There are no mistakes. I narrowed my eyes in confusion as I took out the piece of paper that was inside. It read,

My sweet Kay,

It is you, isn’t it? The Real you. You’ve finally returned. I know if your eyes are reading this letter, it must mean there is not much good news for me. I enclosed this letter with your necklace. I know you no longer need it, but maybe you can give it to someone you believe would keep it safe.

I smiled at the thought. I did, Ms. Heckler.

I don’t want to ramble On in this letter, for I am sure you have much left to do. Ms. Wormwood, I have never doubted you and your resilient love to do good for those you care about and for those who do not deserve it, and I hope you continue to remember that part of you as you set out on another hard task ahead. I wish I could tell you the secrets that you would need to know to win this fight, But I’m coming up short this time around. Please remember to keep your family close as much as you can, for the road ahead will bring forth much struggle. But with Every encounter that brings sadness, there is a Round of great happiness That will greet you. When we first met, I told you about this Story that encounters a group that wills the power to do good, despite the tough decisions that they’d have to make through their journey. You continue to surprise me, even in death, because if I knew you at all, I’m sure you gave me that necklace.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I brushed another tear away from my cheek.

Stay strong, Kay. Only you can write the ending of this incredible story that entails what the Hope Striders have yet to accomplish.

With all my love,

Lauren N. Heckler.

I looked over to her grave site and cried some more. Her last words continued to encourage me to endure the fight, despite how I felt now. All I wanted to do was to hide from all of my troubles and let someone else take care of it, but if I settled into that space, I wouldn’t be upholding what Ms. Heckler wanted—no, needed me to do. And that was to end this once and for all.

I came back into the house and went straight into her room and grabbed the book the envelope hid in. I knew Ms. Heckler just as well, and she always had something up her sleeve, despite what the letter said. I opened the book to the first page, and it had her handwriting that said, There are no mistakes. I narrowed my eyes in confusion. What did she mean by that? I took the envelope out with the letter and noticed that she wrote the same thing on the envelope. That must mean something.

I coughed on the inside of my elbow before my head snapped up to the sound of beads clanging together. My eyes scanned the room for any weapon, but there wasn’t anything worth using. I placed the books down in front of me as I pushed the envelope with Ms. Heckler’s letter in the back of my pocket. I came to the door with my weight at the tip of my toes to keep from creating any noise under my feet.

I heard a soft shuffle on the floorboards as the figure came into view. Without even checking, I grabbed the person’s shirt and lifted the figure up to the edge of the doorway. My eyes widened when I saw it was a girl, thirteen at least. Her face mirrored mine, confused and frightened. Why would she be rummaging through a shop like this? Was she homeless?

Her bright blue eyes, almost teal like, switched over to something aggressive. She narrowed her eyes as she reached for her own grip on top of my shoulders and used her head to knock my grasp off her. Her head felt like I had rammed into a steel wall. When I faltered back, I could hear her feet tatter across the ground and out the door. I shuffled briefly in dizziness before taking off behind her. Come back! I yelled, still swaying from side to side as I ran. She wore a gray hoodie over her black hair, but without it pulled back, it somehow covered her eyes and made her stumble over the step by the front door of the shop. She fell forward onto her hands as she cursed under her breath. When she stood up, I stretched out my hand and grabbed the hood of her jacket and pulled it back. Wait!

Her hand swatted mine to release my grip from her. She turned her shoulders as her hood fell away from her head. What the heck was that? She adjusted her jacket as her brows wrinkled together in annoyance.

You’re the one that ran. I snapped.

She eyed her surroundings before dropping her gaze on me. Well, that’s because you freakin’ grabbed me. How do I know you’re not a serial killer?

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to act that way. I just thought it was someone trying—never mind. I left it.

Trying to what? she questioned as she crossed her arms over her chest. I watched her eye down the street as if she was making sure there weren’t any cars coming down the road.

It doesn’t matter. I looked in the same direction, hoping to see where her attention was drawn to. Are you running from someone?

She scoffed as she looked me over in disbelief. She shook her head before looking in the other direction with the same concern as before. Aren’t we all?

What does that mean? I questioned.

Well, obviously, you’re afraid of someone, or you wouldn’t have reacted the way you did toward me.

I took a step back, thinking there was something else she was going to tell me. Why did you come inside the shop?

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She shrugged her shoulders. I don’t know. I just thought it would be a good place to scope out.

Scope out for what?

I’m sorry, are you the police or something? she snapped. What’s with all the questions? She rolled her eyes.

Definitely a teenager.

I’m just trying to get an idea of what’s going on around here.

What are you talking about?

I just got back, and everything’s so different.

She dropped her hands away from her chest, and one brow lifted in confusion. Where did you come back from, space?

A short laughed escaped my throat. It was weird hearing it. No, not space. She shifted her gaze to the left again before she found my eyes. Why do you do that?

Why do I do what? she asked in a snotty tone.

Look down the road as if you’re waiting for someone to show up.

She paused for a moment before she took a step forward. Where did you say you were coming from? I opened my mouth but quickly closed it when I heard a familiar humming sound fade in around us. I saw the girl’s eyes widen as she booked it in the other direction down the road. I turned my head to see a similar drone I fought off last night. My arm jerked to the side when I saw the girl look at me with anger. Are you trying to die or something? Let’s go!

When I kept at her pace, she let go of my arm. Where are we going?

Somewhere away from those cyno-drones. We can’t be seen.

That’s what you were watching out for, I confirmed. We hid behind a car that seemed abandoned, like the other I tried to break into. Let’s use this to get more distance from it.

Her mouth gaped open when one of her brows lifted. Do you have a mental condition I should know of? she said, looking at me incredulously at my comment.

I pointed at the window. I can see the keys in the ignition, I said.

Well, duh, because cars haven’t worked in years.

What?

She slouched deeper, taking in my confused look. You really don’t know, do you?

I told you, I just came back and everything is different.

Who are you? she asked me.

My name’s Kay.

She shrugged her shoulders. Never heard of you.

Well, what’s yours?

She eyed me from the side once before she stared back at the drone scanning the area. Clara, she breathed out.

CH2

Crap, Clara said as she pressed her back to the car. The cyno-drone is coming this way. She looked at me and then somehow passed my body to look behind me. I turned in her direction to see a lake a block away. We’re going to have to lose it.

By what, taking it swimming?

It can’t swim. She rolled her eyes. She looked behind her to see the drone coming closer. Whatever you do, don’t get shot.

It wasn’t something I was planning on, I mumbled.

Could’ve fooled me, she said under her breath as she switched spots with me. She kept her eyes on the drone. On my mark, we’ll run toward the lake. Stay under as long as you can. She snapped her neck in my direction. You can swim, right?

I nodded. Yeah, I said, remembering all the swimming lessons Lisa made me take after the accident with Liam and Tom.

There was a moment of silence as we both kept our gazes on the machine. When it turned into one of the shops, Clara pushed off, and I followed. I’d thought she was falling behind when I started leading the way, but I realized she kept her pace behind me. It felt like I was the amateur and she was the professional. Had I not earned myself leader in any timeline?

Halt! the mechanical voice said from the drone. You have been detected. Run and you shall be shot on sight. The words were ringing in my ears like before. At least I knew the drones were just that—a mechanical structure that could be easily destroyed. The drumming of the machine escalated, allowing us to gauge how close it was to us.

Keep going! Don’t look back! Clara yelled. I knew she was out of breath. Though she had a strong head on her shoulders, she was still young and couldn’t hold her vigor if she wasn’t properly trained.

Despite what she ordered, I still turned my head to see the upcoming threat. My eyes widened when I recognized a small gun release from the side of its structure. When I saw the red ball of fire build, I knew it meant only bad news. Before I could decide, the cyno-drone exempted a small missile toward us. The only thing I could think of was Clara. I turned and surged a blast of power toward it, feeling my body weaken from the outburst. But I figured if it saved us from this missile, it would be worth it. Except the missile had a covering similar to the drones that absorbed my assault. My eyes widened as I stared at the upcoming projectile and knew there was nothing else I could do but endure it.

Clara threw her body on me and covered herself as the blast ignited around us. I could feel the heat, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

Had my flesh burned off that fast?

When the heat and smoke subsided, my eyes widened as I saw Clara’s body had covered me. I was surprised to hear her grunt in pain instead of lying dead on top of me. She pushed herself on the side, laying her back on the pavement. I rushed to my knees to look her over and saw her T-shirt filled with singed holes. She pinched her shirt forward to see her scorched shirt. Ugh! she yelled, laying her head back down on the ground. Not another one! Without even thinking, she got up and grabbed me to continue on.

You’re okay? I asked, watching her run as if she hadn’t just blocked a missile with her body.

Yeah! No time to explain. She looked back briefly and saw the cyno-drone zooming faster toward us.

We both tried to book it as fast as we could. We swerved around abandoned cars when the drone shot bullets sporadically. I thought it would be best to hide out, but Clara refused to stay in one spot. She pushed off without even hearing me out. I couldn’t let her go on alone, so I had to keep my frustrations to myself. I saw the lake in clear view, but my energy was fading fast. This time, Clara took lead as she pressed hard on her legs to move faster.

I’ve never wanted to welcome a bullet, but the way she acted about them made it seem like they were worse than death. Don’t slow down! We’re almost there!

When I heard our feet slamming itself on wooden boards, I knew we finally reached the docks. I turned my head and saw the cyno-drone lurching from side to side and around lampposts, keeping its target in clear sight to engage another attack.

I wasn’t sure if it was us losing speed or the drone gaining it, but at this point, the machine was so close to us, I could hear it loud and clear as it hovered over the docks. The bottom portion of the structure unsealed a group of tentacle-like wires as it came reaching distance. It stretched for my shoulders, but I kept my pace firm. There was no way I was going to allow that thing to touch me. Once I got close enough, I dove into the water with Clara diving headfirst seconds later.

The water was cold—no, freezing. It was almost instant before my body numbed over, and if it wasn’t for the adrenaline coursing through me, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to move. I watched Clara turn her body toward me, but her eyes widened in fear. I found her gaze quick enough when I saw the cyno-drone dive in after us. Its one red eye scanned the surrounding water until it detected me. I pushed against the water as I tried to swim faster away from it, but the machine hadn’t lost momentum. It surged through the lake toward me. I swam as fast as I could, kicking my legs and thrusting my arms to push myself farther down. I hoped the machine would malfunction the deeper it went, but the more I pushed, the more it fluctuated forward.

The drone battle rammed me into my stomach. I blew out the air that I held, already feeling my lower abdomen wanting to curl over. The wires extended itself from the belly of the machine once again. The tentacles lifted like spider legs before it jerked forward. The wires were close to entangling me if it wasn’t for Clara and her switchblade cutting through a few. The tentacles shuddered wildly as blue flickers surrounded the opening of the graze Clara caused. The shock wasn’t strong, but I could still feel the electricity gyrate through the surrounding current. I used the extra time Clara gave me to swim away, but the drone wasn’t giving up on either one of us.

One of the tendrils wrapped around my ankle, pulling me back to my original spot, as another plunged into Clara’s clavicle. I heard her muffled scream as the bubbles ascended to the top. I grabbed the wire around my ankle and pulled it toward me, jerking the drone’s other tendril away from Clara. The red eye finally drew itself on me as it surged forward in quick fluidity. I ducked backward as the machine floored over me, taking me for the ride, as my ankle continued to stay under the wraps of the cyno-drone’s wire.

Clara held her hand out for me to take, but the drone was already dragging me away. My chest tightened as my body warned me to get more air in my system or I’d drown. Thankfully, the drone lifted upward and into the air. When my body felt the cool breeze, my mouth opened, and my lungs took over, sucking in the dire oxygen it needed to survive. I coughed strongly, unsure of whether I was choking on water or the air was driving through my lungs. Either way, I was disarrayed of where I was and what direction I was going as I dangled upside down, still attached to the machine.

I knew we’d caused some damage as it dropped in sudden moments, attempting to pick up more altitude. I would’ve been satisfied with our efforts if I wasn’t still suspended upside down from it, peering over the crashing water that would take me over if the drone let me go.

Why did this feel like I was being jerked around by a Lich all over again?

My eyes widened at the realization.

I looked at the bottom of the drone before I pushed myself up, using the wire as an anchor. I struggled at first, but after the second time, I was able to lunge my hand into the opening of the bottom of the cyno-drone where the broken wires couldn’t retract back into its safe haven. My fingers grazed more wires before I gripped it between my palm and jerked it toward me. More electrical sparks flew from it, and the sound of a dying machine emerged. The drumming was slowly fading as well as our elevation. We plunged toward the lake with speeds that caused my eyes to close shut. My face and my right arm smacked hard against the first layer of the water, feeling the sharp sting as if someone slapped me with their bare hand. My head throbbed from the impact, but my senses were still on high alert. I pulled my head over the water and sucked in a deep breath.

Kay! Clara called from afar. She tried to swim to me, but I only pointed to the docks. At least I knew she would be safe if she wasn’t in the water. Clara nodded as she changed courses, still looking back at me to make sure I was following behind.

I looked back at the cyno-drone as it finally made its last noise before going under the water and drowning deeper into the lake. When I finally got to the edge where the dock appeared, I could feel my body shutting down at the sight of safety. Clara stretched her hand out to me as water dripped from her drenched clothes.

When I grasped her hand, I used most of my weight to lift myself over the dock. Once I lifted more than half of my body over the wood, I turned on my back in exhaustion, leaving my legs hanging loosely over the edge. I breathed heavily as a few coughs came periodically throughout. Are you okay? I panted, keeping my eyes closed in exhaustion. When she didn’t answer, I opened my eyes to tilt my head in her direction. I lifted my arm so I could press the side of my hand over my eyes to block the blazing sun. She held her hand to her clavicle as she continued to catch her own breath. Her black hair fell over her eyes, keeping her feelings hidden from me. I wanted to ask her again, but I was too tired to do so. I dropped my hands to the dock and just let my muscles rest. We both stood there breathing heavily from all the exertion we put out. When I could breathe through my nose, I turned my head to look at Clara, who was slouched over with one knee propped up so she could hang her left arm over it. Her head hung low as her breathing was still finding its rhythm. Are you okay? I asked again.

Aside from that thing inserting a chip inside my body, just peachy, she said sarcastically.

What?

She hung her head back in annoyance as she let the rays of the sun dry up the rest of the water dripping on her face from her hair. You heard me. She let out a deep breath before she dropped her head back to look at me. She used her thumb to point behind her. That thing back there inserted a chip inside my body. She stretched the neckline of her shirt so I could see the red dot that encapsulated her skin. She dropped her hand before looking back at the deserted town around us. She died, didn’t she? I slowly sat up, ready to ask her more questions about the chip, but she had already gone on to another subject. She shifted her gaze over to me. Lauren, she said. She died, didn’t she?

You knew Ms. Heckler?

She smirked as she played with a hole in her pants. You called her by her last name?

That’s why you were in her shop, I confirmed. She didn’t agree or disagree, but I could see it in her face that it was true. You were visiting her.

She squinted her eyes to keep the sun from blinding her. I’m guessing from your lack of answer that she did. She turned her head toward me. Was she at least comfortable?

I looked out to the lake and watched the water glisten from the sun’s rays. She died in my arms.

That doesn’t answer my question either, she scoffed. You have scrawny arms. I can only imagine how it must’ve felt to be held by them.

I knew she was trying to insult me, but I couldn’t help but laugh with her. Something about nearly drowning could do that to someone. I pointed to her chest. Should we be worried about that?

She stretched out her shirt again to see the red dot. Yeah. Clara pushed up from the dock as she grunted from exercising her sore muscles too soon. But not right now. I tried to do the same, but my ankle kept me from doing so. I sucked in a breath before I gazed upon the red rim around my ankle where the wire had wrapped itself around me. There was some blood, but the lake had washed a lot of it away. At this point, it was just barely crimson. We’re going to have to get that bandaged up.

I nodded in agreement as I hopped on one leg, putting my full weight on one side. Is there a place you had in mind?

She nodded. Yeah, but we’d have to go underground first. She placed her shoulder under my arm to help me steady my balance as we walked farther into town where Town hall was rotting away. It took about an hour to get there since I required multiple stops to rest my foot. Every time we stopped, I expected some kind of remark from Clara, but she kept to herself until I was ready to move on.

When we finally reached the front entrance of Town hall, I could see the building had been overthrown with weeds. The large windows were boarded up, but there wasn’t an ounce of space that didn’t have graffiti on it. On the very top of the glass window, I could see the frame with spiderlike cracks from some kind of impact thrown at the outskirts of it. Are we going inside there?

Yeah, why? Does it look foreboding and outright ominous?

I nodded slightly. You could say that.

Good, she said, walking forward with me trying to keep up. That’s what we hope for. She didn’t lead us to the double doors of the building but around the corner where a double wooden gate lay flat against the ground. She eyed me from the side as she slowly released her arm from under mine. She watched to see if I held my balance on my own before walking away. Once she got that confirmation, she lifted the doors up from the ground, revealing a cemented stairway. It was similar to the ones Ryan and I entered when we first came to Silver Linings.

Clara came back around and returned her shoulders under my arm to help me elevate my bad ankle. It took a while to go down the stairs, but, eventually, we made it to the bottom. Clara climbed back up and closed the door shut to keep anyone else from intruding onto their hiding spot. A voice in the back of my head questioned how safe we were with those old wooden doors encasing the only thing between the outside world and us. Come on, she said. I turned my head and started hopping in the direction she led us. There was a long hallway with subway lights illuminating our path. Clearly, this was already built prior to everything happening. When the tunnel ended, it opened up to a clearing that appeared to be an underground subway train. There was only one cart, small enough to take on five to six people. There were two benches on the outskirts of the track, set twelve feet apart from each other as if it was a place where people actually waited.

Clara walked us to the edge where the cart slid open with a sliding whoosh. On the other side, a figure had mirrored my wide-eyed expression. First, she was confused, but then a small smirk rose at the corner of her lips. Crikey, you’re alive, Serenity said under her breath. She took a step over the small gap that separated us from the cart and the cement ground, but when she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, her body jerked back and her hands flailed to her head in pain. She dropped to her knees as she moaned from whatever she was going through.

Hey! Clara said, falling to the ground to be at eye level with her. I tried to help, but with my bad ankle, I’d only get in the way.

What’s wrong with her? I questioned.

Clara looked at me skeptically. If I knew, I would know what to do right now, she snapped.

She tried to shake her out of it, but Serenity only screamed louder. Her fingers started to embed itself on the side of her face. Make it stop! she yelled. A moment later, her arms dropped and her eyes wavered mindlessly before her body swayed to the side and then into Clara’s arms.

She looked over to me in worry. What the heck was that? she questioned.

I was hoping you could tell me.

CH3

Thankfully, Clara knew how to operate the cart to take us back to their hideout. I sat next to Serenity’s unconscious body as the trip elongated itself. I checked on her pulse every five minutes, hoping she was still with us. I didn’t think I could handle another death. When Clara closed the door to the front of the cart, my eyes widened. Don’t worry, it won’t crash. She watched me relax in my seat before she observed Serenity leaning her head on my shoulder. How is she?

Good, I guess.

And how are you?

I looked at her with concern. For someone so young, she had to grow up so fast. I nodded. Better than her, I said. She smirked as she plopped on the seat next to Serenity. How’s your . . . I pointed to my chest to signify hers.

You mean the chip they injected me with? Still there, I suppose.

What does it do?

She sighed, moving a strand of hair out of Serenity’s face. Nothing good. I leaned my head back on the window of the moving cart and chuckled under my breath in disbelief. Clara narrowed her eyes in confusion. What’s so funny?

I was just thinking how awesome this welcome-back party was.

She shifted her weight so she could be more comfortable in the chair. You never told me where you came back from.

‘‘And you never told me how you took on a raging missile without a scratch on you.’’

She huffed out a breath before saying, ‘‘My body can adapt to the environment around me.’’ She waited before her eyes widened in annoyance, waiting for me to go on to answer her previous question.

I rolled my head to the side to face her. I closed my eyes. The past.

She laughed before it faded out. Wait, you’re serious? I nodded. Clara was quiet, which was odd for her. I expected a lot of questions or more disbelief blown in my direction, but I was only met with more silence.

I’m not crazy, you know.

I don’t know what to think, she mumbled. But for now, keep that stuff to yourself. Let’s deal with what we already have on our plate.

I nodded before looking away. Deal. We coasted on the sounds of the cart riding on the tracks. It seemed like an hour had passed, but there was no telling the accuracy of that. It could’ve been longer or could’ve been shorter. I looked at Clara, who seemed to be thinking hard within her mind. I watched her features maneuver itself based on the emotions that were rummaging through her brain. She was an open book, all right. Toward the end, I could see her brows tightening together, so I figured I would step in and alleviate whatever anger was building inside of her. Do you know who made those drones?

She looked at me before she turned her head back in the window’s direction. No. No one does.

So what is it you and your team are doing to stop it?

She chuckled in disbelief but kept her eyes still on the glass window. Stop it? We’re trying to survive it. We keep our heads low and do what we’re told so we can stay alive.

Then why were you out there in the first place? And why was Ms. Heckler staying in that dump of a shop instead of being underground with you guys?

She snapped her head in my direction. Her nostrils flared in anger. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Ms. Heckler chose to stay in that dump! She isolated herself from everyone that cared about her. No one knew why, but no one even tried to stop her. It was as if no one cared about her. She crossed her arms over her chest. Well, I did, and that’s why I was out there—to convince her for the hundredth time to come back. I could see her eyes glaze over. She was sick, and no one cared, she hissed. No one except for me.

I’m sorry, I said. She looked away from me so I wouldn’t see her face, probably holding back tears. I cared about her too.

Her head hung low. She talked a lot about you.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. I thought you said you never heard of me?

She turned her head to face me. I lied. She shrugged her shoulders. I was nervous, and I didn’t know what to say. Plus, there was a drone trying to kill us, so it wasn’t like I could tell you all of this in that short amount of time.

She wasn’t wrong.

So where’s this place that you guys stay in? I wanted to ask the questions that were gnawing at the forefront of my mind, but I had to be discreet so I didn’t come off too strong.

It’s nothing extravagant, but we make it as homelike as possible. She rubbed her shoulder without even thinking as she continued. We don’t really have leaders, but Liam likes to say that he’s one.

A wave of relief struck me in my core. Liam? He’s alive, I said to myself.

She nodded. And he’s going to be really mad when he sees me, so I suggest you stay away from him when we meet up. That put a smile on my face. He was acting like he was her big brother.

A thought passed over me to generate the question, Where did I go?

She looked at me with a confused expression. Did you forget already?

I shook my head. No, I mean, where did my autopilot-self go?

She shrugged her shoulders. I never saw you down in the tunnels when I got here. I actually think you separated from the group before everything got so bad.

How many people live with you?

There’re about twenty or so people down here. We believe there’re about four or five other groups scattered along this railway, but no one has ever ventured out to see.

Why not?

The last time someone went out to look, they were taken away by one of those drones.

Were they ever seen again?

She nodded. Yeah, but when Ms. Heckler came back, she wasn’t the same.

My eyes broadened. Ms. Heckler was the one that went out? By herself?

No. There were two others that went with her, but she was the one that helped them escape. She pressed her knees to her chest so she could wrap her arms around them. She was never the same after that. Liam forbade anyone else to go out there.

Why isn’t anyone fighting back or figuring out a plan to take down Elias—

Who?

Elias. He’s one of the people that’s involved with all of this—he and someone else, I said to the side, trying to figure out who else would be dumb enough to partner with him.

I never heard of him before. Then again, no one has ever been able to find out who’s been behind all of this. They’ve been able to cover up their identities thus far. Her head snapped to the screeching sound from the driver’s side and ran toward the door. She pulled the lever back, and more screeching emerged as the brakes initiated itself on the cart. I held Serenity in place as the cart coasted to a stop.

The doors slid open to reveal an underground cavern. There were built-in lamps on the side of the rock walls, illuminating our path. There was chatter deeper inside the caves, which made me feel like I was close to seeing Liam again. I needed him. He was the only stable thing left in my life, and I needed to know he was alive and well. I needed to see him; I needed to feel that he was real.

First things first—get Serenity to the infirmary.

I stood up awkwardly, still aching from my ankle. I scanned over the result of what it looked like and realized it was swollen where the red line continued to throb around my foot. I tested the stamina of it and regretted it the moment I pressed the tip of my toes on the ground. I winced in pain as I looked over to Clara, who struggled to lift Serenity on her own. I hopped back to the seat and sighed. Leave us here so you can go get help.

She looked at both of us before she nodded and took off. Before long, I heard a pair of footsteps heading down the long hall of the opening. When I turned my head, I saw an ebony-skinned man with worried eyes run toward us. When he skidded to a stop in front of me, he nodded once before eyeing Clara for an explanation. She’s okay.

He smiled over to me and stretched out his hand. My name’s Rev, but I believe we already met. I nodded. Welcome to your new home. He eyed Serenity from the side, and his mouth curved downward. What happened to her? Is she okay?

When we met up with her, she passed out. She said she was in pain but then collapsed.

He nodded, already scooping her body in his arms. He looked over to me when he saw my swollen ankle. Give me just one moment and I’ll come back to help you too.

I nodded. Don’t worry about me. Clara came over and wrapped my arm