Landed Wings - By Skylhur Tranqille Page 0,39
house, my heart still racing with adrenaline. I’m not ready and the gala is just a couple of days away. I want to wake Mocha and tell him I want out, but I instead I wrap myself in my wings and sleep.
CHAPTER 25: ATTACK
ASHLYNN
Something wakes me up. Mocha is still sleeping, snoring
really loudly. There is a noise at the door, a soft noise that I recognize as someone turning, or trying to turn, the door
handle. It’s probably Ginger. Mocha told me that she always came at night. I began to lightly slap Mocha’s arm, trying to get him to wake up. The phone beside the bed starts beeping, Mocha turns off the ringer at night, and the doorknob-noise stops. I hesitate, unsure of what to do. I pick up the phone.
“Sweetheart?”
I stop breathing. I can’t believe it, there’s no way. There is a soft laugh on the other end, a laugh I recognize.
“I know you’re there. I’ve missed you. I sent some men over so I could have you back. Will you go with them darling?”
She never calls me sweetheart or darling. Only Ashlynn. The words sound foreign and odd in the voice that had mostly admonished instead of praised.
“No? It doesn’t matter. They’ll get you for me.”
There is a new sound, equally as unsettling as the laugh had been. A creak, then a squeak. These, I knew, were not the sounds of a house settling. These sounds were coming from the direction of the door. I hit Mocha harder, and lightly slapped his cheek. He groaned and started to say What? in a sleep laden voice, but I put a finger to his lips. He smiles.
“What’re ya doin Ash?”
His words slurred. I take the phone from my ear quickly and press it against his. It is quiet again and so I hear what my mother says to him.
“Soon, now darling, soon.”
The door opens, and Mocha’s eyes open wide, fully aware now. He gets up slowly and walks out into the kitchen. I don’t know what’s in there, but I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. The first quiet footstep creaks on the black cherry hardwood floor and stops. About fifteen seconds pass, and a second footstep touches down lightly. Mocha comes back into the bedroom and closes both doors, the one in the front of the room and the one in the back leading to the kitchen. In his hand is a sleek BB. The BB is a silent, lethal, powerful weapon, powerful enough to shoot through walls. And also illegal to everyone not in the Defense Forces and definitely illegal to the LandBound. They are always fatal. The BB is a bio weapon, if someone is hit, something not unlike a disease spreads through the body. It kills all cells instantly and spreads like a contagion. I guess it’s not entirely fatal. If it hits you in your toe, your foot has to be removed in 1 hour, and you’ll still live. But it’s called a BB because it is intended for the brain. It takes about three seconds for it to spread through the brain and then you’re done - dead. Mocha aims the BB it at the bedroom door after he reenters and waits. The men are farther in the house. I hear doors opening, and finally, I see the handle on the bedroom door start to turn slowly, so slowly. Mocha shoots through the door three times, starting from near the bottom and ending about three quarters up. I’m not afraid. I know that my mother didn’t want to hurt me. But they might hurt Mocha. There is a thud against the door. There are no more noises in the house. The phone rings again. I slowly pick it up. Her voice has changed. It’s hard as granite now.
“Sweetie…,” and a sigh, “I’m sorry I have to do this.”
The door bursts open, and Mocha starts firing rapidly. But they keep coming through. Two men, with BB-proof suits on. Lightweight and a dull metallic color and very effective against the BB. They have other weapons, swords. She is playing with us. These swords were different though. They look almost transparent, and shimmer slightly. One of the men, the shorter one, sliced off a corner of the dresser. It came off clean, a solid block of mahogany wood, sliced into the shape of a triangle. Clearly these aren’t normal swords. Both Mocha and I back up, out of the swords’ range. Mocha pushes me behind him and