Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
GRACE
" L et's start bringing as many as we can toward the Naval base," Merrix instructed. "We need to go there. We will be safe there, and we need to draw as many other civilians as possible, and innocent humans to the base that are willing to go with us."
"How in the hell do you suppose we do that?" Mike asked.
Tarax looked at Mike. The two stared at each other; almost as if they were sizing each other up and trying to gauge how much trust they were willing to give to each other.
"What are you saying?" David asked, stepping up from the background. David wasn't one to be ignored or forgotten. He would make sure his voice was heard no matter what.
Tarax looked at David as if he was an afterthought.
"I'm saying that we need to get these people out of their homes and into the refuge of the base," Tarax explained.
"Why don't you do it then," David said.
Tarax slowly approached him. his eyes narrowed. Mike was a big guy, but Tarax was bigger, and represented a bigger intimidation power.
"Wait a minute," I interjected. "I thought we were on the same page and that we all agreed to do this together."
"It can't be us. We can't approach the homes and knock on the doors." Tarax pointed to Merrix and Norin.
"Why not?" Mike shouted with exasperation.
"We aren't human, and we won't be convincing enough to get them to leave of their own free will," Merrix explained.
Mike looked at Merrix with a combative, somewhat snarky expression. "You look like you could pull it off."
"You want us to trespass into other people's homes, pull them from their beds and their living rooms and tell them they have to come with me — no questions asked?" David added.
"They'll ask the questions anyway, but you must try to prove to them that you aren't here to hurt them, but help them instead," Merrix said.
" You need to be the one to do it," Tarax instructed Mike with more urgency and insistence.
"What makes you so sure that they'll even go with me?" Mike exclaimed.
I could tell that Mike was near his breaking point.
"You're a firefighter. People will trust you by nature," Tarax assumed.
Tarax made a good point.
"Hey Mike?" I coaxed gently. "See them, behind you?" I pointed to his wife and three young children, cowering, and shaking under blankets in the back of one of the firetrucks.
Mike's wife was beautiful. She had long, straight brown hair and a trim figure. She stretched her arms protectively over each of her children, like an eagle's wings roped around the babies in its nest.
Mike blinked at his family. He almost looked baffled, as if he were living in a series of dream fragments that he couldn't wake himself from.
"Yeah?" He glanced between me and them.
I cupped my hands over his shoulders and pressed on them firmly. I stared into the blackness of Mike's eyes until I found the light inside, the kindness and the heroicness that I knew was there all along, hiding from the panic and hysteria — just waiting to burst back through.
" They need you. need you. Your family needs to get to this shelter — but think of all the other families out there who deserve the same protection."
Mike nodded. I still felt like Mike had a slight disconnect, but he nodded and took a deep breath to prepare himself for what he knew he had to do. At least he was listening.
"You're right," Mike said and balled his fists with perseverance.
He then proceeded to pound on the front door of a random house in a residential area we were in.
We, along with Tarax and his fellow Space Knights were covering this particular area. There were other firefighter units trying to rescue and encourage people to leave their homes to follow us to an unknown base as well.
It wasn't an easy accomplishment. Many of those we'd already encountered in the streets were wary as it was. Everyone had their guard up, for good reason. They assumed we were under attack by a terrorist organization. Even I still didn't fully understand the threat myself or how bad it could possibly get — even from here. I felt sorry for these civilians. I was afraid, even though I had more information than they did.
"Chicago Fire Department," Mike roared as he continued to pound his fist into the front door of a stranger's house. "Open up. We're guiding everyone to a more secure shelter, but you must come with us. Bring only what you can carry. The National Guard base will be waiting for us and can assist any who are lost or injured."
A few seconds later, a couple who looked to be in their mid to late sixties slowly opened their front door. The man had a shiny bald head with dark gray, slightly curly hair on the sides. He wore wire-rimmed, spectacle styled glasses and a wooly, gray bathrobe.
He wore dark maroon slippers and had his right arm protectively clasped around a thin woman. The woman was almost equal in height to the man, which was average. The woman had light blue eyes, wrinkles, and a curious expression. I assumed they were married.
They both peered at us with a morsel of hope shimmering in their eyes.
Mike's features softened when he saw them. "Please… you have to come with us. I know it's a lot to trust in but?—"
"You're from the Chicago fire department?" the woman asked skeptically.
Mike nodded, pointing to his uniform. "I am. I'm the captain of ladder twenty-nine. I've been a firefighter for over twenty years," he added, probably to reassure the couple.
I'm only wearing my night gown," the woman said in a croaky voice and pinched the middle of her pastel pink night dress.
Mike shook his head. Tears gleamed in his eyes. The strong, burly firefighter had a soft spot in his heart for babies and the elderly. He was nothing but a tender teddy bear on the inside.
"It's okay," he whispered. "We can come back for more clothes and belongings, but for right now — it's vital that we find somewhere to hide out until this attack is over, and that place is the National Guard base."
The couple exchanged a hesitant glance with each other but when they nodded and agreed to come with us, I released a heavy breath of relief that I hadn't even realized I'd been holding in the first place.
We whisked the couple to temporary safety with the rest of the group and continued on our assignment, expecting it to be a long and gruesome night. A few hours in, my feet were dragging, my back and neck throbbed, and my eyes stung with exhaustion. I kept going because the people of Chicago desperately need someone to save them.
One by one, we patrolled to individual houses in each grid of the city and plucked bleary eyed, bewildered, and afraid people from the safety of their homes — homes which were no longer safe at all.
Anyone who would agree to come with us, we took. I began to wonder just how big this military base was to hold all these people but reminded myself to just do my job and not worry too much about it.
Others, however, weren't as accommodating to agree with our plan of action. Many refused to follow instructions and became animatedly hostile.
There were far too many people who were paranoid about us and refused to be rounded up, complaining that they were being herded blindly like cattle. Others protested that they were being duped by a terrorist organization or the military and slammed their doors in our faces.
One man in particular left me feeling shaken and rattled.
"Don't take another step in this direction," he instructed, wearing a tan colored baseball cap. He was already standing on his front porch when we arrived. He had a defiant stance, warning us not to mess with him.
The bill of his baseball hat was pushed down low and covered his facial expressions and most of his eyes. It was difficult to see his face. I didn't like not being able to tell what people were thinking — or what kind of monumental mess they might be capable of creating.
The testy man adjusted his weight, fidgeting with paranoia. He raised his rifle, pointing it directly at me. The dark, black, steel of the barrel looked menacing and calculated, sending an icy cold flaring through my arms and legs.
I raised my arms by my sides and licked my dry lips apprehensively. My hands tremored with unease. This man's nervous energy was affecting me, especially with his deadly gun pointed at my face.
"Sir… please. We are just trying to help you," I attempted to reassure him.
" Stay… away… from… me…" the man said methodically and with frosty warning. "I don't know what you fucking, slimy, government officials are playing at but I'm not going anywhere with you."
"I don't work for the government," I tried to explain as rationally as possible. "I'm a firefighter. It's my job to keep you safe."
He was wearing a black and red checkered — plaid long sleeved shirt with a tan jacket. "If you know what's good for you — you won't step any closer. I will shoot. I will." He cocked the rifle, but his fingers were shaky on the trigger. It was almost as if he needed to convince himself that he was capable of committing impulsive murder.
My heart thundered with anxiety. A cold sweat started dripping between my breasts. I stared at the man, internally praying for one last chance to convince him to make a better choice.
"You're making a mistake," I said. "I'm one of the good ones. I am not trying to take you hostage or anything here. I want to bring you out of the danger — not further into it."
"I'm good right here," the man said with a sniff, wiping his nose with the back of his sleeve. "I've never left my home for any shit like this, and I don't plan to start. Me and my little friend here can protect ourselves just fine without your help." He patted the base of his gun.
I was about to give up when another siren shrieked through the night air.
The man became extra paranoid after that. He ran down his steps in my direction. His jaw was clenched, and he was gritting his teeth with animosity. The rifle barrel was aimed at my heart. I didn't even have a split second to jump out of the way.
I knew I was going to die and there was no way to stop it. I could almost hear the gun being fired and the bullet plunging straight into my heart. I could almost smell the smoke of gunpowder pluming from the barrel after the round had been spent.
A solitary tear rolled down my cheek. The last thing I was going to see before I died was this man's rifle along with his menacing scowl.
In the next instant, a large figure flashed in front of the man, colliding with him, and knocking him straight to the ground. The man's rifle flew into the air, and I leaped in to catch it before it fell to the ground and unloaded accidentally.
I saw a blur of bronze and realized that it was Tarax who had bravely dived in front of the deranged man and disarmed him before he had a chance to hurt me.
I was panting hard, shaking all over and feeling completely rattled. I slung the rifle strap over my shoulder just in case the delusional man tried to jump right back up and finish what he started. He seemed wiry enough to try something crazy like that.
Tarax had him pinned down hard, but the man continued to violently jerk his arms and legs and arch his back, bucking his hips up and down like a bronco on the loose.
"You aren't going to touch her. You're not going to hurt anyone. If you don't want to come with us, fine. That's your choice. We aren't going to help you dig your own grave. You have your free will… but you are going to go back inside your house, lock your door, and not inflict even more damage on this city that's been done already, do you hear me?"
Tarax was on the ground, preventing the squirming man from standing up. He was shouting at him with angry spittle flying from his mouth.
"Fine," the man hissed, glaring at Tarax with a maddened expression. "Just let me the fuck up, then."
Tarax slackened his grip on the man, but he didn't let him go completely. He was testing the waters to see if the man would keep to his word not to charge at me again. When he was certain that the man wasn't going to go on a second assault rant, he let him go.
"Give me my gun back," the man roared menacingly at me.
I gave Tarax a reluctant glance. Tarax nodded. "It's okay. Do it. If he tries anything, I'll shove that rifle so far up his ass he'll never be able to walk again."
With some hesitancy, I shoved the rifle back into the arms of the odd man. Tarax stood protectively in front of me, towering above me.
The man stumbled backward, staring at Tarax as if he were only dreaming him. He tripped over his own feet but quickly regained his balance. He bolted back for the temporary safety of his home — but everyone knew that safety was quickly fading.
Once he was gone and no longer posing an imminent threat, I turned around and faced Tarax… gazing over his lustrous body. He looked so majestic. I was in awe of him and his striking handsomeness.
"You didn't have to do that…" I trailed off, staring at Tarax with gratitude swirling through my body.
"Yes, I did," Tarax said immediately, without hesitation.
He was so good looking. His jaw line made my heart ache with longing. His piercing teal green eyes revived my soul in a way that I didn't know was even possible.
He looked like he just came straight from the set of an action movie scene. His bronzed skin was toned and firm. Every surface of his body was covered by rock-solid muscle.
He was tall, handsome, and brooding. He took my breath away, giving me the most sensational feeling inside.
"Come on, we need to go, quickly," he instructed.
Tarax made brief eye contact with me. My heart flipped, but the moment didn't linger. Tarax quickly broke my gaze. His eyes flickered down toward the pavement. He wore a humbled expression, as if he didn't want to give himself the credit he deserved. I didn't care. I would praise him for his efforts anyway.
I glanced over my shoulder. David stepped out of the shadows of the night. His angry face provided enough darkness of its own. He wasn't looking at me. He was staring with enormous loathing at Tarax as Tarax protectively swooped his hand around my waist and gently attempted to guide me along, back toward the National Guard base.
The jealousy was practically seething from David. His jaw was clenched as tight as an oyster shell, and his cunning glower sent a chill through my body.
I turned around and put one foot in front of the other, jogging to keep up the pace with Tarax. David's envy, although it wasn't surprising, still unnerved me. I already felt like I had enough to worry about, without adding David's exhaustive and suffocating envy to the mix.