Free Minds

Chapter 88.

  The only noise present was the already prominent cricket sounds blending at an irregular rhythm. My hands moved around the screen, resisting the temptation to pause and restart the recording to confirm that it was working. But then again, it's not like we would hear anything.

   An unexpected grasp on my arm made me flinch.

"Did you hear that?" Camila whispered.

   Time barely passed before a thin, low growl made its way to my ears.

   I turned to Cami, whose hand was still on me in a death grip. "Did you hear that?"

"Shh!" Rav cried. "How are any of us supposed hear anything if you keep talk–"

   A thunderous roar suddenly tore through the cold air, silencing the crickets and any future arguments between Rav and Camila and me.

   No one could say they didn't hear that.

"Okay, everyone!" Rav's voice was shaky as he had to yell over the many more similar noises that had erupted in less than a minute. "You know what to do!"

   The constant snapping and cracking of old twigs were what informed us of the Yunies' presence in the side of the forest where Dorian and Rav had placed the speakers. The side we had just begun running from.

"Beth, remember," Rav paused to take in the breaths he'd lost running with the rest of us across the end of Zavlon footpath/driveway to the other side of the woods. "Keep–"

"–alternating the sounds between the speakers so that their search will be harder, giving us more time," I completed his sentence in a fit of breaths, holding onto Rav's phone tighter than ever.

   We'd barely gotten enough time to catch our breath before breaking to a run once more. As I darted through this new side of woods with all the speed and strength I could muster, it wasn't easy keeping eyes and fingers on the device to carry out the alternation while making sure I didn't run headfirst into a thousand-year trees.

   But this was what I'd trained for. I could do this.

   After what seemed like forever, we'd successfully reached the other end of the woods–the end which gave us a full view of Zavlon's main gate.

   As expected, the gate was ajar due to the Yunies nearby who had heard the recordings from the speaker and rushed out into the forest.

"What are we waiting for? The aliens are in the forest. Let's go in." Landon asked.

"Stay put," Camila muttered, her intense stare still fixed on the entrance.

   I noticed her hands were making a counting gesture.

"Okay," She said upon reaching her fifth finger. "Go!"

   Since we'd been able to draw so many Yunies around the entrance into the forest, running through the gate was no trouble at all. The first phase of Rav and Camila's plan–entry into Zavlon– was a huge success! The knot in my stomach began to feel looser as we stopped behind Zavlon's counselling centre building to take a breather.

"Remember, that was our last stop before we head toward Tunnel Six," Camila was walking backwards as she faced everyone else. "We cannot afford to let our guard down..."

   The rest of her words seemed miles away as my now large eyes caught sight of an all-too familiar black and white back hair standing near the building head of this one. Without giving myself time to think, I rushed towards Camila, yanking and turning her back to face me.

   My hand was already cupping her mouth as I gestured and leaned down to her ear to whisper, "Look."

   I watched as her eyes transformed from confused to fear-stricken. She immediately gave frantic nods of understanding that served as my cue to let her go.

"Cami, Beth, look out!"

   Landon's warning came a little too late. I didn't see the other Yunie that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere fast enough. It had already lifted Camila off her feet into a deadlock grasp she was struggling out of and was reaching out to me with its free hand.

   As I ducked and tried to figure out how to get Cami out of this, I noticed that the two new Yunies–one really looking like Yunie I'd seen not too long ago– had arrived and were trying to corner Rav, Landon and Dorian.

   Looking over to Camila again, who was still unstable in the Yunie's hands, I realised rather than trying to escape she appeared to be reaching for one of the in-built pouches Dorian had created in our body armour.

   I can't believe I'd already forgotten that some of the weapons I'd create were in there! Which weapon was the most appropriate to use?

   Certainly not the SLAG (Rav's poor choice of an abbreviation for Stun laser gun), I could easily hit Camila. And it's not like these Yunies had any weapons I could draw toward me with the Weapon Magnet (also, Rav... sigh). If I used my Gravity Falls (actually not a bad name) device, Cami could be crushed under the weight of the Yunie if it fell head first. I couldn't risk that.

   That then left...

   After digging through the pockets of my armour, I almost sobbed with relief when my fingers brushed against the cold, metallic Yunie frequency whistle. This invention of mine was going to save us for the second time, it seemed.

"Beth, run!" Camila stopped moving in the Yunie's arms to yell.

   Although her wild eyes were directed my way, it didn't really look like she was staring at me. That's when I knew that she was not telling me to run from the Yunie that she was battling.

   But the one seething behind me.

   To my dismay, my thoughts were not as fast as my feet. Two heavy, hairy hands grabbed me from behind, knocking the whistle that was in my grasp in the process. I watched our hope roll away beyond arm's reach.

"Guys!" I yelled toward Landon, Dorian and Rav, still occupied with the two Yunies that appeared to be closing in minute by minute. "THE WHISTLE! USE THE WHISTLE!"

   It was like talking to non-living objects. But it was their fault they couldn't hear me. The deafening roars from the Yunies' throat made it difficult for anyone to hear anything.

   I twisted, wiggled and kicked at my alien prisoner, more determined than ever to break free.The whistle was a few feet away. If I could just get out of this death grip...

   A loud yelp broke me from my trance.

"AARAV!" I heard Dorian's pained cry.

   Splayed out on the cold ground was Rav, not looking like he was recovering from the rough shove that one of the Yunies gave him. When Dorian's back, which was shielding most of Rav's face, moved, I was relieved to find him conscious, but with dazed eyes and a trail of blood running down his forehead.

   Meanwhile, one Yunie had used this moment to lunge for Landon while the other made his way towards a clearly distracted Dorian.

"DORIAN!" I was going to take my chances in shouting my lungs out even if he did not hear me. "DO–"

   A large clap around my face muffled the rest of my words. Not only was it impossible to speak but I was now finding difficulty in breathing as well. My eyes were the only things functioning, but even they began fluttering as exhaustion and lack of air appeared to be shutting my body down.

   Was I going to have dilated eyes and no self-awareness like the other Zavolonians when I came to my senses? Were the others?

   Was this barely-began battle already over? 

A/N: 😬 is it?

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