Chapter 60 - Julian
We’re so fucking close.
I can almost taste the air of home as the outskirts of town rise ahead, the skyline a familiar line I used to hate due to its limitations and now ache for like it’s the goddamn holy grail.
My fingers grip the handlebars of the bike too tightly, knuckles white beneath my gloves.
Reid rides just ahead of me, shoulders tense.
I can feel it in both of us, that gnawing need to see Luna.
To make sure she’s okay. To get to her before the world tips even further into the abyss.
A dragon? A mother fucking dragon? I still can’t wrap my head around that.
The cracked moon looms overhead, bigger than it should be, too close, too wrong. It’s like a giant reminder that nothing is normal, nothing is safe, and whatever magic has bled through the seams of our reality brought more than just these new powers. It brought dangers we haven’t even seen yet.
We hit the last stretch of road leading into town and my heart lifts until I see rows of empty cars and trucks lining both sides of the road like a fucking apocalyptic car show.
Doors are left open, some with windows smashed in, personal belongings scattered across the pavement like breadcrumbs leading to nowhere.
I slow, anxiety twisting in my gut. Reid glances over his shoulder and signals for me to follow.
We snake through the path between them, engines rumbling low, eyes scanning every shadow, but when we round a slight bend and the road flattens out, our momentum dies.
Roadblock. Barricades across the highway and no way around.
Even worse are the soldiers in black gear with rifles raised in our direction.
Reid skids to a stop, shooting an uncertain look my way through his open visor, and I pull to a stop beside him, my shoes scraping the asphalt as I plant my feet.
My heart slams against my ribs in frustration at the last obstacle standing between us and our goal.
“Fuck this,” I mutter, yanking off my helmet and climbing off the bike.
One of the soldiers steps forward with a hard look on his face. His accent is sharp, British according to the patch on his shoulder. This isn’t the RCMP or the Canadian military. They shouldn’t be here in any capacity.
“This is a restricted area. Turn around and head back.”
“Like hell,” I snap. “We live here. Our families are here.”
“Back up. Now.”
“No,” I growl, stepping closer. “What the fuck gives you the right to block us from our own town? Who the fuck are you people?”
The answer comes in the form of a rifle stock slamming into my gut. Pain detonates in my abdomen, white-hot and breath-stealing. I drop to my knees, gasping, spitting into the dust. Reid shouts my name, but a second soldier grabs him, wrenching his arms behind his back.
“Julian!”
I can’t breathe. Can’t think through the unexpected pain.
Rough hands haul me up and drag me off the road.
Reid gets the same treatment as our backpacks are stripped off and taken.
I try to call my new power, but nothing happens.
I can't concentrate with hardly any air in my lungs as they shove us toward a bright yellow school bus already half-full of people.
Faces peer out the windows, scared, confused, and defeated. An old man holds a cane to his chest. A woman clutches her child, and a twenty-something couple whispers furiously, holding hands like they can hold off reality with sheer willpower.
We’re forced up the steps and shoved into seats.
Metal screeches as the door slams shut behind us.
I look over at Reid. His jaw is tight, and his chest is heaving, but neither of us says a word as the bus jerks forward.
There’s no explanation or instructions, just the dull roar of tires over pavement as we’re driven through town, past the places we know, the streets we’ve driven.
All of it out of reach behind the locked windows of this fucking bus.
The bus finally stops outside a massive gated warehouse complete with a chain link fence topped by barbed wire.
Soldiers flank the entrance and glare menacingly at us as we’re herded off the bus into the warehouse through a huge rolling door.
The space inside is wide open and crowded.
People are sitting on the floor or leaning against the outer walls.
Some are crying, and some argue, but most just look shell-shocked.
My eyes scan the crowd, searching. I don’t know what I’m looking for until I hear my name.
“Julian! Reid!”
My head snaps around.
Elenor… Gigi.
She waves wildly, tears in her eyes, pushing through the crowd.
Right behind her is Kara, Reid’s sister.
The sight of them nearly drops me to my knees.
Reid doesn’t hesitate as he rushes forward and wraps Kara in a fierce hug.
Her fingers clutch at his back like she’ll never let go again, all her regular cool composure missing as she cries into his neck in relief.
I go to Gigi and as she wraps her arms around me for a second, the weight of everything lifts.
“I knew you’d make it,” she breathes against my shoulder.
I pull back, scan her face. “Where’s Luna?”
Gigi shakes her head. “She’s not here. I went out to get supplies and they grabbed me. They took my bag, shoved me on a truck and brought me and a bunch of others here. I haven’t seen her since yesterday, but if they had gotten her, she’d be here too.”
My heart sinks. I grip her arms. “But she’s at the house?”
She nods with a reassuring smile. “Last I saw, yes. She was safe.”
They lead us out of the crowd and we slide down against a wall beside them, backs to the cold metal, knees drawn up. Kara leans her head on Reid’s shoulder, still looking impeccably put together even here and now. Gigi leans on mine, and for a moment, the four of us just breathe, just exist.
Then we start to talk about what we’ve seen and what we’ve done to get back here.
We talk about the powers and the chaos happening out there, but none of us say anything about what we are able to do now.
This isn’t the time or place to share that.
Kara finally regains her icy demeanor and glares at a few of the soldiers who walk past with guns held threateningly.
“I was trapped on campus for the first few days, but when things kept getting worse, I slipped away and went to the private airfield I use to fly from. It took an ungodly amount of money, but I finally managed to get a helicopter pilot to fly me and a few others heading north. It took two days just to get over the border, hopping from airstrip to airstrip. We could only fly during the day and had a hard time getting fuel.” She side-eyes another pair of soldiers passing by.
“Imagine my surprise when these British wannabe warlords scooped me up at the airport. They came rushing in, barking orders and demands, then they just forced me into a truck. Like I was some kind of enemy soldier.” She sits back and crosses her arms with a shake of her head.
“I should have had the pilot set down on our property instead. I’ve been here ever since.
I just wish they’d tell us what they want! ”
I study the uniformed men stationed around the huge room with narrowed eyes. I know what they want. They want power, it’s as simple as that. The only question is if we’ll let them have it. For now, we’ll wait, but not for long. Our girl is out there and we didn’t come this far to not get to her.