|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Chapter 8
By Julie Dillon
Darian sat tensed on the back of Phoenix's motorcycle, coughing from the noxious exhaust. He was still rather dazed, whether from the police's gas cloud or the situation in general, he couldn't tell. Everything was happening so quickly. It had only been a few hours since he and Anika had learned of Cisia and Talehn's escape from the Ministry. It had taken so little time for word of Cisia's escape to spread throughout Central District, and even less time for the authorities to learn of Darian and Anika's betrayal. And just seconds ago, his rival, Phoenix, had come out of nowhere and pulled Darian onto the back of his motorcycle... This day definitely was not turning out as he had expected...
Killing the officer in the squad car had probably been a bad move on Phoenix's part; it would just give the cops added reason to pursue them with more fervor. Darian had long disapproved of Phoenix's less than subtle methods. He lacked style, which was one of the reasons Darian and Anika kept their professional distance from him in the past.
"Just where the hell do you think you are taking me, anyway?" Darian asked, stifling a strained cough. "You'd better get out of the main road soon, or those cops are going to overrun us . . ."
"Just shut up and let me drive," Phoenix said darkly without taking his eyes from the black stretch of road ahead..The motorcycle picked up speed, racing madly between other cars and down the curving streets. The lights from the stores and other vehicles blurred into streams of flashing white and red. The sound of the sirens still pierced above the powerful drone of the motorcycle's engine, though they seemed to be fading into the distance.
After a while, Darien noticed how hard and white Phoenix's knuckles were from gripping the handlebars; even above the roar of the engine, he could hear Phoenix's strained breathing. After a few moments, the motorcycle began to slow, and Phoenix's head slumped to his chest.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Darian asked, nudging Phoenix roughly in the ribs. "What are you doing?" There was response from the hunter. Darian scowled and prepared to hit him harder when he noticed something. On the back of Phoenix's exposed neck was a scar, and a brand burned into his flesh. The official seal of the Ministry, given to all its test subjects . . . "Phoenix . . . Just who the hell are you?!"
Phoenix groaned in pain and slumped over onto the handlebars, his skin ashen white. Darian cursed and reached over his body, turning the handlebars to the left and taking the speeding vehicle off of the road before they crashed into the other vehicles. Darian quickly realized this may not have been the best course of action as the motorcycle sped into an dark alley straight towards a brick wall. Uttering a curse and looping his arm under Phoenix's shoulder, Darian jumped off of the motorcycle onto a pile of trash bags, taking the disabled hunter with him. Moments later the motorcycle rammed head first into the brick wall, erupting into a billowing mass of fire, stinging smoke and twisted metal. Darian, having fallen into the garbage pile, covered his head and waited for the smoke to clear. After a few moments, he carefully stood and dusted himself off, thankful that he had recovered enough from the gas that his legs didn’t give out beneath him. Looking down, he saw that Phoenix was nearly unconscious. His forehead was covered in beads of sweat, and trails of blood ran from his now wounded right arm. Beneath his pale skin, Darian could see his dark blue veins pulsing and glowing unnaturally. This was definitely the result of the Ministry's testing...
"Come on, we need to get out of here," Darian said, helping Phoenix up and supporting his weight. "With any luck, the cops will think we died in that crash and won't pursue us further."
"Cisia," Phoenix half whispered, "I . . . have to protect Cisia . . ."
"We'll worry about that later," Darian said as he dragged Phoenix down an adjacent alley. "Right now, let's worry about getting out of here alive . . ."
 |
 |
 |