Jessa K
Member
|
( This is what Will looks like)
Chapter Five: Necessity
“I’ve gotta go talk to Sam,” Luke said. “He had an idea about where to raid.” He smiled at the girls and went over to a boy across the warehouse.
“Exactly what do I have to learn?” Jessa questioned, turning towards Mila.
“Mainly the way we do raids, what to do if we get caught, things like that,” Mila explained. “Come on, let’s sit down, my legs are getting tired,” she grinned. The dark-haired girl led Jessa over to a few knee-height storage boxes. They looked half-rotted, but Mila sat on them, and Jessa followed suit. She then looked across the room, searching, until she seemed to spot somebody. “Will!” She called out.
A brown-haired boy of about 15 looked up from a small group of boys the same age. Mila waved him over, and he obliged. As he came closer, Jessa noted that he had the gangly look of a teenager not quite done growing. His eyes were hazel, and he had a few freckles.
“Yeah?” The boy asked when he was in front of them. Mila pushed a crate forward and motioned for him to sit, which he did.
“This is Will, he’s sort of our strategist,” Mila introduced. “This is Jessa, she’s going to come on the raid. I need your help explaining how we do the raids.”
Will nodded and turned to Jessa. “When we go on raids, we focus on keeping things easy and fast. We go in, grab as much as we can, and get out.” He spoke with the ease and practice of somebody who had explained this many times before.
“Mila unlocks the door- she’s the best at breaking in,” Mila smiled at this, “And then we go in. Usually we each have a bag, and we grab as much as possible. Five minutes later, we leave. Luke sometimes points out specific areas, like canned vegetables, but not always.”
Jessa nodded, taking in the information. Will continued. “The reason we’re so fast is because some stores have alarms, which alert the police. We make sure never to raid close to a police station, so usually we get away without even seeing a cop. Sometimes, though, the cops still come. We always have somebody on the lookout, so usually we can run away. A few of us know the streets and alleys really well, so it’s pretty easy to hide.”
“What happens if somebody gets caught?” Jessa asked, unable to retain the question.
Mila and Will shared a slight, knowing glance. It was for only a moment, but Jessa saw it. “It happened before, didn’t it?” She guessed.
Mila nodded sadly, but didn’t elaborate. There was a moment of awkward silence before Will continued.
“You’re a Smasher, right?” Will asked. Jessa nodded, rather resentfully. “Would your power be useful for a raid?”
Jessa thought for a moment. She had no idea what her capabilities were truly; only that things happened according to what she wanted. “I think I could be pretty useful,” she agreed. “When I really want something to happen… With my power, it usually happens in some way or other.”
Will grinned. “So that’s why Luke wanted to take you.”
“Hopefully, your powers won’t be needed,” Mila added. Will nodded in agreement, and then looked up. Jessa followed his gaze, to see Luke approaching them with a boy and a girl. The boy looked 16 or 17, the girl about 13. The boy was the same one Luke had left to talk to earlier, who Jessa assumed was Sam. He had curly dark brown hair and brown eyes. The girl had brown hair with faded blonde streaks and blue-green eyes.
“Jessa, this is Sam and Emma,” Luke introduced when he joined them. “They’re going to come on the raid, too.” Jessa nodded at the two in acknowledgement. They pulled up more storage crates and sat down, forming a loose circle.
“Sam had an idea to raid that drug store near the Aurora Park ruins,” Luke started, “it’s not too far, so we won’t have to worry about lugging our loot around for miles. It’s nowhere near the police station, too. There’s a lot of gang activity in that area, but if we’re quick and careful we should be fine.”
“When will we be leaving?” Mila asked.
“We’ll wait until after it gets dark,” Luke said immediately. It seemed that he had already carefully planned the raid.
Jessa looked out one of the windows set high up in the warehouse. Based on the sun, she guessed it was one or two in the afternoon. This time of year, it got dark as soon as 5. Only a few more hours, Jessa thought.
“So, we all know what to do?” Luke asked. There was a general murmur of agreement. “Alright, then. Try to relax a bit before tonight.” The group dispersed, and most of the teens seemed to go back to their beds. Jessa did the same, making her way back to her secluded spot between the two storage crates. Yet again, thoughts swirled through her head.
It had been only hours ago that Mila had found her, and soon she would be accompanying them on a raid. In some ways, it seemed unbelievable. She was still so unsure of everything, and painful memories of her parents kept popping up when she least expected them. She tried to push the memories away, but they just kept coming back. Jessa sighed, and realized how tired she felt. The day had been a whirlwind of unexpected activity, and combined with her sleepless night, that left her exhausted. Jessa leaned against one of the crates. She was asleep within moments.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Jessa, wake up,” a voice said softly. Jessa stirred and woke, her diamond-like eyes opening quickly. She was confused- where was she? –until her gaze connected with familiar forest green eyes, and she remembered. The pain came back, a great wave of agony from the previous night. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. The wave of emotion passed quickly though, and Jessa stood up.
“Did you have a nice nap?” He asked, with a playful smile.
Jessa nodded, with a small smile in response. She had a deep, dreamless sleep. It wasn’t enough to make up for the previous night, but she felt a bit more energized.
“Here,” he said, handing her two cloth bags. “Remember, fill them as quickly as possible.” He led her to the group of raiders, who all looked ready to go.
“Can’t I come, please?” The young girl, Kira, asked. Will laughed.
“How many times do I have to tell you? When you’re older,” the boy responded. Jessa noticed how similar they looked, and guessed they were siblings.
“Alright, let’s go,” Luke said. He led the group of teens out the back door. It was dark, and cold. Jessa shivered involuntarily, although the cold didn’t bother her as much as it had the night before.
They made their way between the alleys. Jessa was surprised to see the youngest, Emma, leading alongside Luke. She asked Mila the reason.
“Emma knows the streets better than any of us,” Mila explained. “She’s one of the youngest, but she grew up on the streets. She knows every alley, every route, and every street.”
As Luke had said, the store wasn’t too far. They traveled silently through the ruins of Aurora Park. Jessa remembered when she was little. She had come here often with her parents… Jessa shook the thought away.
They soon stood in front of the store. It was a normal drug store, certainly nothing special. The lights were off inside, and the parking lot was empty. “Perfect,” Will whispered.
Luke looked up at the door, and frowned. “Security camera,” he muttered quietly. “Another step closer and we’ll all be seen.”
Will swore softly. “Should’ve thought of that. Guess we’ll have to find somewhere else.” Luke nodded, and turned to leave.
“Hold on,” Jessa said, looking at the camera. The little red light on it was blinking ominously. “Maybe I can, if I try…” She whispered, mostly to herself. She concentrated, thinking of how much she wanted the cameras off, so that her new friends could be safe. She focused her will, telling herself there was nothing she wanted more than for the camera to turn off.
There was a sudden and small crackle sound, and the red light blinked out.
There was a quiet cheer from the group. Jessa allowed herself a small smile of pride. Mila walked forward, with something small and shiny in her hand. She then pulled a can out of one of her bags and sprayed the lock. She then placed the can back in her bag and inserted the shiny object into the lock. In less than a minute, the door was open.
“Hurry! Batteries, canned food, and anything else we need” Luke urged. They rushed inside, spreading out across the dark store. Jessa headed towards the canned food, along with Mila and Will. She grabbed everything she could reach. She didn’t take time to look and see what she was grabbing. Her bag quickly grew heavy. Jessa slung one full bag over her shoulder and began filling the next one. The other teens did the same.
Suddenly, Jessa heard a girl’s scream. She looked up, her eyes wide. Over the top of the shelf, a few aisles down, Jessa saw flames.
Mila, Will, and Jessa rushed into the main aisle. “Luke?” Mila yelled, all attempts at secrecy forgotten.
Then Jessa heard a click behind them. It took her only a second to recognize the sound of a gun being cocked.
< Message edited by Jessa K -- 2/23/2013 2:41:45 >
|
Printable Version
Icon Legend
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread
