Ventus by Jonathan Dakin
Chapter Sixteen
Before I even had the chance to comprehend what was happening, Malik had a tight hold of my arm with his strong grip, and was rushing us towards Niyol’s bedroom. He held Sefarina with his other hand, and Niyol and Valeska followed closely behind us. We were running so fast that my legs struggled to work correctly. I thought that I would suddenly trip, and would end up being dragged along the floor. Malik was not going to let me go: not for anything.
He kicked Niyol’s bedroom door in with his heavy right foot, and it flew across the room and smacked against a computer desk. Malik thrust Sefarina and I into the middle of the room, and then pushed Niyol close against us. We stood there, trembling in horror. All of the negative thoughts I had had for the past few months enveloped my mind. We might be hurt. Our family might be hurt. It was Niyol’s worst fear come true. He had often said that he knew that no one would kill us: we were too valuable. Instead he was worried that they would keep us alive and experiment on us by draining our blood and drilling out our bone marrow. That people would try to harvest us to replicate our powers. The idea filled me with imminent dread. If the Inimicus couldn’t have us, then they would certain still want us. Maybe they would try to mind wash us to be their slaves. Or worse: they might lobotomise us so that we were no longer able to think for ourselves.
I brushed the bad thoughts aside. Focusing on what might happen was not going to help us now. I had to save my brother and sister, even if that meant sacrificing myself.
Malik stormed past us, and grabbed Valeska by the arm, tightly.
“I’ll make sure no one gets in. You open the emergency exit and lead them out. If I’m not here when you open it, leave without me.”
“No!” Sefarina screamed, but Malik ignored her and rushed out of the room.
Valeska dashed over to us.
“Stay here,” she commanded, and then ran across the room to the built-in wardrobe where Niyol hung his clothes. She opened the door to it quickly, ran in, and began hammering against the back wall frantically.
There was a huge bang from the main entrance, and we all turned towards it. Another followed, and another rapidly after that. It sounded as if someone was using a large hammer against the metal door, desperately trying to break in. Why did they want us? It didn’t make sense. HE had already hacked into the computers, and the communications systems, and had a mole working on the inside. HE didn’t need to attack the base. Although HE said it was to show us what he could do, it seemed to me like there was something else HE wanted: something HE was unable to retrieve unless He attacked. And it couldn’t be us. HE had offered us a way out, and said he would wait for us to choose to join him. Sigwald wasn’t telling us something, something vitally important.
The hammering became louder and closer. They had probably almost succeeded in breaking into our dormitory. Valeska found what she was looking for, and yelped in pride. She punched a fist through the white wall, a part obviously made only of plasterboard, just above a shelf. It was hollow, and once she reached her hand inside, something clicked, and a small door slid opened inside the wardrobe on the floor. It wasn’t very big, only a few feet high, and I assumed that we would have to crawl through it.
“Come on!” She screamed, rushing back over to us and pointing at the dark hole in the wall.
“I can’t!” Sefarina cried out.
“You have to!” Valeska warned her.
A huge explosion rocked the very foundations of the building, almost sending me toppling to the floor. The door to the dormitory fell to the ground with a huge thunk, and the sound of voices erupted just outside of where we were standing. Malik began to shout, presumably using his skills as a martial artist to fend enemies off, and the voices of various unknown men and women could be heard yelling out as they were punished by our competent instructor.
“We have to go and help him!” Niyol shouted, heading back into the living room.
“No!” Valeska commanded, grabbing him forcefully and holding him still, “You are more important. We can’t let them get you.”
“But we can’t let Malik die!” Niyol pleaded.
“The life of a Ventus is all about making tough choices…”
“I can take them all out, so can Aura…”
“We don’t have time for this!” Valeska stated urgently, “We have to go! They might have weapons or armour that can protect them against your attacks! Then they’ll capture you, or worse, kill you!”
I wanted to argue with Valeska by telling her that it made no sense for anyone to kill us, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to risk any of us getting hurt, or taken. Even though I didn’t agree with her, the voices of our attackers were closing in on us, and we had to escape.
“We have to go!” I shouted at Niyol. He looked at me, forlorn.
“But I can help…”
“I know you can,” I agreed, “But it’s too dangerous!”
“But…” Niyol started, but was cut short when the body of a large man in a tight black suit was hurled into the room. His body smacked into the floor between Niyol and Sefarina and myself, and he groaned in pain. His left arm was twisted into a shape that no limb should be able to make and he was covered in a dark liquid. Malik burst into the room, his thick head now battered and bruised. Dark fluid dribbled from his mouth and his right eye was swollen.
“What are you waiting for?!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, before an arm wrapped itself around his neck and pulled him backwards.
I darted towards the wardrobe, pulling Sefarina along with me, and pushing her towards the hole.
“I can’t!” She repeated, but I ignored her and threw her to her knees, pushing her bottom with my foot so that she would crawl into the small gap.
“Let me go first!” Valeska shrieked, diving to the floor and disappearing into the hole. Sefarina followed after her. I turned back to the bedroom to see Niyol using his lightning to electrocute people fighting against a now broken Malik.
“Niyol, come on!” I yelled.
“You go on ahead!” He replied. I dashed over to him as he let out an explosion of bright white light which hit two people trying to enter through the bedroom door. Malik sat on the floor, next to me, panting. He watched as the people screamed out and dropped to the floor, their bodies sizzling and convulsing. I grabbed Niyol’s left arm, which was readying for attack, trying to not get electrocuted.
“Go, now!” I shouted, staring into his eyes determinedly, “You have to protect your sisters!!”
He stared back at me, his eyes hardening. He nodded and hurried to the wardrobe, clambering into the hole. Malik looked up at me, as more people in black spilled towards us. His face was caked in blood and bruises, but he smiled regardless.
“Get lost,” he muttered, before taking a deep breath and then yelling out. He jumped up and punched the man coming towards him in the face, and then slammed a woman against the wall. I floated backwards, away from the fighting, realising that he was fighting a losing battle.
I entered the wardrobe, and bent down, looking down into the dark hole. The wind whipped my face, and I realised that it must lead directly outside. I turned, seeing three large figures holding Malik while two others punched him in various places. I couldn’t leave him to die like this. I closed my eyes, concentrating on the air particles floating throughout the dormitory. I could sense that there were exactly fourteen bodies in the space, and seven of those were in the bedroom with us. I felt one of them reaching out, thrusting his arm through the air, pushing molecules aside, to grab onto my foot. I opened my eyes, kicking and squirming as he easily dragged me back into the bedroom as if I were a doll. His other hand clamped down onto my left arm and I screamed, realising that other people were also beginning to grope me. I closed my eyes as the hands caught my arms and my legs, pushing me tightly against the floor. As calmly as I could, I focused, and collected all of the water droplets in the air. I created one huge ball of water, which hovered just above me, and within seconds, made i
t slam into the face of one of my attackers. It had the desired effect, working like a bowling ball knocking against pins. The man fell backwards, and the ball of water flew into the faces of my other attackers. One after another they fell to the floor, either unconscious or howling in pain. Soon, the seven people in the room were all on the ground, and no one was holding onto me anymore. I jumped up to my feet, using the air to lift me up quickly, like an inflating cushion blowing up underneath my back. The other seven attackers, who were charging towards the bedroom, were not going to be able to harm either Malik or myself. He stood up, panting heavily. I winked at him; feeling the air around the attackers’ legs, and made it go stiff. It must have felt like someone had just placed a plank of wood up against their ankles, as I heard them cry out and tumble to the ground.
I turned and sprinted back towards the wardrobe, throwing myself onto my hands and knees to crawl into the hole. Malik followed me, and as soon as I had shimmied myself into the black space, I twisted my head back to catch his eyes. Even though they were red and swollen, his eyes smiled at me as he shut the door with a groaning click.
I was left in darkness with only the sound and feel of the distant breeze to keep me company. I used my powers to rush forward through the space, feeling the molecules to plot my route. It wouldn’t take me long to get out of here. So I began crawling, and I did so as quickly as I could.
Before I even had the chance to comprehend what was happening, Malik had a tight hold of my arm with his strong grip, and was rushing us towards Niyol’s bedroom. He held Sefarina with his other hand, and Niyol and Valeska followed closely behind us. We were running so fast that my legs struggled to work correctly. I thought that I would suddenly trip, and would end up being dragged along the floor. Malik was not going to let me go: not for anything.
He kicked Niyol’s bedroom door in with his heavy right foot, and it flew across the room and smacked against a computer desk. Malik thrust Sefarina and I into the middle of the room, and then pushed Niyol close against us. We stood there, trembling in horror. All of the negative thoughts I had had for the past few months enveloped my mind. We might be hurt. Our family might be hurt. It was Niyol’s worst fear come true. He had often said that he knew that no one would kill us: we were too valuable. Instead he was worried that they would keep us alive and experiment on us by draining our blood and drilling out our bone marrow. That people would try to harvest us to replicate our powers. The idea filled me with imminent dread. If the Inimicus couldn’t have us, then they would certain still want us. Maybe they would try to mind wash us to be their slaves. Or worse: they might lobotomise us so that we were no longer able to think for ourselves.
I brushed the bad thoughts aside. Focusing on what might happen was not going to help us now. I had to save my brother and sister, even if that meant sacrificing myself.
Malik stormed past us, and grabbed Valeska by the arm, tightly.
“I’ll make sure no one gets in. You open the emergency exit and lead them out. If I’m not here when you open it, leave without me.”
“No!” Sefarina screamed, but Malik ignored her and rushed out of the room.
Valeska dashed over to us.
“Stay here,” she commanded, and then ran across the room to the built-in wardrobe where Niyol hung his clothes. She opened the door to it quickly, ran in, and began hammering against the back wall frantically.
There was a huge bang from the main entrance, and we all turned towards it. Another followed, and another rapidly after that. It sounded as if someone was using a large hammer against the metal door, desperately trying to break in. Why did they want us? It didn’t make sense. HE had already hacked into the computers, and the communications systems, and had a mole working on the inside. HE didn’t need to attack the base. Although HE said it was to show us what he could do, it seemed to me like there was something else HE wanted: something HE was unable to retrieve unless He attacked. And it couldn’t be us. HE had offered us a way out, and said he would wait for us to choose to join him. Sigwald wasn’t telling us something, something vitally important.
The hammering became louder and closer. They had probably almost succeeded in breaking into our dormitory. Valeska found what she was looking for, and yelped in pride. She punched a fist through the white wall, a part obviously made only of plasterboard, just above a shelf. It was hollow, and once she reached her hand inside, something clicked, and a small door slid opened inside the wardrobe on the floor. It wasn’t very big, only a few feet high, and I assumed that we would have to crawl through it.
“Come on!” She screamed, rushing back over to us and pointing at the dark hole in the wall.
“I can’t!” Sefarina cried out.
“You have to!” Valeska warned her.
A huge explosion rocked the very foundations of the building, almost sending me toppling to the floor. The door to the dormitory fell to the ground with a huge thunk, and the sound of voices erupted just outside of where we were standing. Malik began to shout, presumably using his skills as a martial artist to fend enemies off, and the voices of various unknown men and women could be heard yelling out as they were punished by our competent instructor.
“We have to go and help him!” Niyol shouted, heading back into the living room.
“No!” Valeska commanded, grabbing him forcefully and holding him still, “You are more important. We can’t let them get you.”
“But we can’t let Malik die!” Niyol pleaded.
“The life of a Ventus is all about making tough choices…”
“I can take them all out, so can Aura…”
“We don’t have time for this!” Valeska stated urgently, “We have to go! They might have weapons or armour that can protect them against your attacks! Then they’ll capture you, or worse, kill you!”
I wanted to argue with Valeska by telling her that it made no sense for anyone to kill us, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to risk any of us getting hurt, or taken. Even though I didn’t agree with her, the voices of our attackers were closing in on us, and we had to escape.
“We have to go!” I shouted at Niyol. He looked at me, forlorn.
“But I can help…”
“I know you can,” I agreed, “But it’s too dangerous!”
“But…” Niyol started, but was cut short when the body of a large man in a tight black suit was hurled into the room. His body smacked into the floor between Niyol and Sefarina and myself, and he groaned in pain. His left arm was twisted into a shape that no limb should be able to make and he was covered in a dark liquid. Malik burst into the room, his thick head now battered and bruised. Dark fluid dribbled from his mouth and his right eye was swollen.
“What are you waiting for?!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, before an arm wrapped itself around his neck and pulled him backwards.
I darted towards the wardrobe, pulling Sefarina along with me, and pushing her towards the hole.
“I can’t!” She repeated, but I ignored her and threw her to her knees, pushing her bottom with my foot so that she would crawl into the small gap.
“Let me go first!” Valeska shrieked, diving to the floor and disappearing into the hole. Sefarina followed after her. I turned back to the bedroom to see Niyol using his lightning to electrocute people fighting against a now broken Malik.
“Niyol, come on!” I yelled.
“You go on ahead!” He replied. I dashed over to him as he let out an explosion of bright white light which hit two people trying to enter through the bedroom door. Malik sat on the floor, next to me, panting. He watched as the people screamed out and dropped to the floor, their bodies sizzling and convulsing. I grabbed Niyol’s left arm, which was readying for attack, trying to not get electrocuted.
“Go, now!” I shouted, staring into his eyes determinedly, “You have to protect your sisters!!”
He stared back at me, his eyes hardening. He nodded and hurried to the wardrobe, clambering into the hole. Malik looked up at me, as more people in black spilled towards us. His face was caked in blood and bruises, but he smiled regardless.
“Get lost,” he muttered, before taking a deep breath and then yelling out. He jumped up and punched the man coming towards him in the face, and then slammed a woman against the wall. I floated backwards, away from the fighting, realising that he was fighting a losing battle.
I entered the wardrobe, and bent down, looking down into the dark hole. The wind whipped my face, and I realised that it must lead directly outside. I turned, seeing three large figures holding Malik while two others punched him in various places. I couldn’t leave him to die like this. I closed my eyes, concentrating on the air particles floating throughout the dormitory. I could sense that there were exactly fourteen bodies in the space, and seven of those were in the bedroom with us. I felt one of them reaching out, thrusting his arm through the air, pushing molecules aside, to grab onto my foot. I opened my eyes, kicking and squirming as he easily dragged me back into the bedroom as if I were a doll. His other hand clamped down onto my left arm and I screamed, realising that other people were also beginning to grope me. I closed my eyes as the hands caught my arms and my legs, pushing me tightly against the floor. As calmly as I could, I focused, and collected all of the water droplets in the air. I created one huge ball of water, which hovered just above me, and within seconds, made i
I turned and sprinted back towards the wardrobe, throwing myself onto my hands and knees to crawl into the hole. Malik followed me, and as soon as I had shimmied myself into the black space, I twisted my head back to catch his eyes. Even though they were red and swollen, his eyes smiled at me as he shut the door with a groaning click.
I was left in darkness with only the sound and feel of the distant breeze to keep me company. I used my powers to rush forward through the space, feeling the molecules to plot my route. It wouldn’t take me long to get out of here. So I began crawling, and I did so as quickly as I could.