They must’ve watched the video from the surveillance room continuously for several hours, searching for clues. The security guards scanned the area surrounding Cloud Manor and even questioned some guests, hoping to find something useful.It was already dark outside, and the poles were the only thing illuminating the streets. As if it was a bad omen, menacing clouds obscured the moon.Although it was late, Elena and Jackson kept at it, going through the surveillance once more. The only time they stopped for a break was when a knock on the door interrupted them.With a slight irritation written all over her face, Elena mumbled. “Come in!”A security guard walked in. With audible dismay in his tone, he uttered. “Miss… W-We found something…”Elena noticed the fright in the man’s eyes. She kept her cool when she asked him. “What is it?”The security guard remained silent as if he was searching for the words, which made Elena even more anxious. “Out with it! What happened?”“Y-Yes… Someone
Their conversation buffed Jackson. In his twenty something years, he never heard of any rebels. He joined them with a question of his own. “What’s going on?”Amber ignored him once more and continued. “Bryce, check for nearby concentrations of the same algae I just uploaded!”“Excuse me…?”“On it, boss!”Irritated, Jackson banged his hand on the door. The thud he produced got the attention of Amber. “What?!”“Will you tell me what’s going on, please?”Amber sighed. “Bryce, fill him in while I continue my research, in case I missed something…”[Oh, man… Do I have to?]“Yes! Otherwise, he’ll just annoy me…”[Fine! Give me some time to finish something and I’ll get back to you.]The holographic projection of Bryce ended, and Amber looked at Jackson with visible irritation in her eyes. “Shoo! Go someplace else!”Jackson walked away from the van after Amber requested him to do so. With the device at hand, he sat at the stairs of Cloud Manor and waited for Bryce to call back.In the meantim
A village burnt to the ground appeared as the antithesis of the surrounding serene canvas of greenery.The chirping of birds came from the distance. Bursts of wind silenced the animals, which made it even more eerie. It would raise ashes, creating a suffocating gray mist.Jackson, dumbfounded with welled crimson eyes, tried his hardest to breathe by covering his nose with a piece of cloth, filtering the stuffed air. He couldn’t believe the sight in front of him.At first, he thought it was an illusion created by the low oxygen in his brain. He couldn’t wrap his head around it, thinking his eyes played tricks. He resisted the urge to rub them, to not worsen the situation. Stunned, Jackson stared at the girl at the door. Several scenarios went through his mind. The last thing he expected to find was the girl he searched for.With a similar expression, Tia blacked out in front of the young man. Her turquoise eyes almost went white from surprise. “Why?”From the corners of his eyes, Jacks
As soon as she heard Jackson’s words, Tia ejected from her seat. Her breathing became heavy, as if she was on the brink of a panic attack. “Who are they? Do they know about me?!”Jackson tried to calm her down. “Relax! Nobody knows about you. I didn’t even know until you opened the door…”The girl paced back and forth. She fidgeted with her fingers and approached the window to peek outside. “Come to think of it, how did you find me?”“You getting taken was like an abduction in Southfield. Whoever it was, they took Aria Brown’s sister. The people I came with suspected the rebels…”Jackson would continue talking until he saw the expression on Tia’s face. He found it strange, but he soon understood that she had nothing to do with that.He pondered for several seconds, lost in thought. Jackson got up from the armchair to stretch his feet. He paced back and forth while thinking. “It makes little sense…!”He then turned to Tia with a somewhat surprised look on his face. “Who were the friends
When the gunshot went off, Jackson with the two women inside the house got roused. Tia approached the window. Before she could look outside, Amber pulled her back. “That’s dangerous! Stay out of sight!”Frightened, the girl uttered. “I want to know what happened…”After a short static in Amber’s intercom, Bryce’s voice came through.[Amber… They shot Gianni!]With eyes widened, Amber stared into nothingness. Her brain was as if it froze, and words refused to leave her mouth. She looked blankly in Jackson’s direction.Although he could take a guess, Jackson asked for nothing. Instead, he flipped the table. Swiftly, he grabbed their hands and dragged them behind the toppled furniture. “Get down…”Meanwhile, Bryce had already returned to the van. Cold sweat drenched his clothes, and his breathing became erratic. The fleeting scene of Gianni getting shot in front of him kept replaying in his mind.Crimson blood splattered on the van’s doors. The painted ground became slippery as the burly
“No way! How?!” Tia stood trembling in front of the group of strangers. Although Jackson supported her, she still felt weak in her knees. With both hands, she covered her mouth and her eyes widened in surprise. Amber didn’t know how to respond, therefore she remained silent, waiting for the event to develop in front of her. “Until recently, I was with the West family…” A young girl in the opposite group made the connection between him and Jackson and gasped. “Oh, he’s the guy who helped you escape?!” “That’s right…” He looked at the girl who had trouble believing in her eyes. He let out a sigh before walking towards Jackson and the others. “… And this is Tia Kraft!” The people in his group gasped. With expressions of shock written all over their faces, they faltered. Jackson tapped Tia’s shoulder, getting her attention. “Do you know this person?” The girl looked at him. The blurry vision made her squint her eyes. She nodded as the words refused to leave her mouth. After a f
Golden eucalyptus leaves formed an earthly carpet. With every step, a cracking sound accompanied whoever walked towards the small wooden cabin.It had rained the night before and the lake overflowed. The once green banks became submerged.The shade provided by the long trees didn’t allow the weakened rays to reach the ground.A white smoke flowed freely from the small chimney in this humid morning when the thick fog made its way inland.A car slowly approached the cabin with its headlights on. Jackson and Tia got off and waited. Shortly after, a second car pulled up. This time, it was Julian with Dana, and the other two.Just as he got closer, Jackson remembered the days of his recovery he spent in Red Maple Grove. For an entire month, he stayed there with little of an interaction with the outside world.Warren was his only company, and for that, he was grateful. His face showed signs of reminiscence and a warm smile appeared, which he quickly brushed off the moment he saw them.Jacks
“Hey Warren, you had us worried there for a second.”Jackson’s smiling face and demeanor made the middle-aged man chuckle.Elena walked behind him and peeked at her father. She held onto Jackson’s shirt. Her voice came out softly. “How are you feeling, daddy?”Warren’s eyes welled up. “Haha! My beautiful Elena! Your old man is powerful as an ox. Accept this old fool’s apology for making his family worry…”A domineering voice creeped up from behind Elena. “You said it! We take our eyes off you for a second and you get into trouble!”Startled, the girl turned around. Her mother had just entered the room dressed to the nines. She had a long dress caressing her curvy body, which made Jackson blush.The alluring woman smiled. She approached him and poked his chest. She leaned forward with her body making a snake-like twist and whispered. Her soft breath tickled his ear. “You make this old woman excited with a reaction like that, young man!”Elena hugged Jackson ever so tightly and pulled h