Imaginary - Book 2 - Chapter 34 - Fury of the Elements (Patreon)

Sorry nothing went out yesterday. I'm trying... my brain just isn't cooperating. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.


“Alright, everyone out!” Pam hissed as she pulled at one corner of the shattered windshield, bending the shattered safety glass enough for someone to pass through. “Hurry, we don’t have much time.”

Both Olivia and Kira went first, squeezing through the small gap between the inverted front seats and scampering out of the vehicle. I was supposed to be next, but I paused, and turned to Amelia first. “Are you going to be okay? Do you need help getting out?”

“Hey, I may feel a little woozy after that stunt I pulled, but I’m not down and out yet,” Amelia replied, flashing me a cocky grin. “Besides, we’re in a hurry, and there’s not really enough room for me to shuffle by even if you wanted to keep an eye on me.”

Although she had some good points, I couldn’t help but be worried about the way she was swaying in place. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her until we get outside. Go on ahead so you can help her through the front window,” Kyle said quietly from the seat behind us. I stepped to the side so I could look around the bench hanging from the roof, blocking my view, and nodded to him. “Alright, thanks, Kyle. I’ll see you both outside,” I said before dropping to my hands and knees and crawling through the tiny gap in the front seats. 

As soon as made it into the front of the van Mac reached in, scooped me up and placed me out in the street. “Make sure you all stay in cover until we’re ready to move; we don’t want to alert Grey that we’re out until we’re ready to move,” he ordered in a hoarse whisper before ducking down to help Amelia.

I staggered back a couple steps, then stepped over to huddle with Kira and Olivia. “Why do you think that psychopath is doing all this?” Olivia asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “I got the impression he was obsessive and wanted to either recruit or kidnap some of us; Maybe he’s one of those sickos who gets too obsessive and has to destroy what he can’t have?”

“Maybe…” Kira muttered. “The thing is, Kyle and I used to watch his streams a lot, he always seemed like a decent guy. It’s possible that he was just hiding that part of himself while he was on air, but considering he was both a prominent member of an enclave and a celebrity, you’d expect there to at least be rumors floating around if he was this unhinged.”

“Plus, doesn’t the BEI monitor the enclaves? If he were attacking people in the street, they would have locked him up already,” I said.

“It doesn’t matter why he’s doing this, or what changed,” Mac declared as he pulled Amelia out of the vehicle. “All that matters right now is getting you kids out of here. We can determine his motives later.”

“About that, I don’t suppose you have a plan for getting us out of here, do you?” Kira asked.

“Only the most basic outline of one,” Pam grunted. “Once everyone’s out of the van we’re going to make a run for the alley to the North and do our best to evacuate the area while Grey is distracted.”

“That’s it?” Olivia asked.

“I hit the emergency transponder the instant Grey showed up, all the BEI agents in the area should be converging on our position, but I don’t think we can just sit around and wait for them. We need to put as much distance between Grey and ourselves as possible. He already flipped the van on us, it’s only a matter of time until he comes over to investigate.”

“How did he do that anyways?” Amelia gasped. “From where I was sitting, it looked like we’d managed to slip past him.”

“I didn’t see either, but if I had to guess, he either created a ramp right under the front tires or some sort of projectile and fired it at the undercarriage. All I know is whatever he did had already cleared by the time I’d climbed up and peeked out of the driver’s side window.” 

“Does it matter how he did it?” Kyle asked as he scrambled through the window. “We can always figure that out later. Our focus right now should be keeping our heads attached to our shoulders.” 

“Well put kid,” Pam growled. She waited until Kyle was clear of the vehicle before letting go of the windshield, and as it slammed back down I couldn’t help but notice that the section she’d been holding on to was smothered in blood.

“Pam, your hands,” Olivia exclaimed in horror.

“They’ll be fine,” Pam snapped. “I’ll get a medic to look at them once we’re clear and going through the windshield was the safest option; A minor wound like this is worth it if we can get you all out of here safe and sound.” 

“You won’t be able to use a firearm in that condition,” Mac muttered. 

“Yeah, well, if I had been thinking I would have wrapped my hands prior to pulling the window open, but since I didn’t feel any sharp edges I thought I’d be fine. Unfortunately the window slipped a little when Tamera climbed through, and I cut them when I readjusted. There’s nothing we can do about it now,” Pam replied before pulling her gun from it’s holster. “And I CAN use my weapon, it’ll just be incredibly painful to do so, so lets hope we can slip away without any trouble.”

“I know how stubborn you are, so there’s no point in trying to convince you otherwise. Just try to avoid firing unless there’s no other choice,” Mac sighed. 

“That’s the plan,” Pam grumbled. 

“Okay, everyone ready to go?” Mac asked, turning to us.

“Uh, Amelia isn’t in the best shape right now,” I replied. “She used her powers to prevent us from all smashing our heads in, and I think she overexerted herself.”

“I’m fine,” Amelia mumbled. 

“No you’re not,” Kira exclaimed. “You’re still pale, sweating, and your swaying back and forth. We’re about to make a dash for our lives, now isn’t the time to be hiding your injuries!”

“Even if it’s true, and I’m feeling a little ill, it’s not like we can do anything about it anyway,” Amelia muttered.

“That’s not true,” Pam said, holstering her weapon. “Come on, I’ll give you a piggyback ride across the road.”

“Really?” Kira asked. 

“Like I said before, both Mac and I trained for the Special Response Teams, and I’ve made sure to maintain my fitness after finishing the boot camp. I could carry a full-grown man across the road if necessary,” Pam said, crouching down. “Now come on, we don’t have time to argue.”

Amelia looked awkward, but still walked over and threw her arms around Pam’s neck. As soon as she was in place Pam hooked her arms around Amelia’s legs and rose smoothly to her feet. 

“We’re going to make for that alley,” Mac declared, pointing at a narrow gap between a couple of commercial buildings. Now, there’s quite a light show going on out there, and you may be tempted to turn and watch, but don’t stop no matter what. Got it?” 

“What sort of lightshow?” Kyle asked.

“Grey is getting pelted by fireballs, lightning bolts, ice spikes and all manner of other things,” Mac replied, before glancing in my direction. “I couldn’t see anything out there, but based upon the frequency and direction, it almost looked like there was something invisible out there, flying around him.”

“Uhhhh… we should talk later,” I muttered. “As long as you promise not to get mad or inform the rest of the bureau.” Mac raised an eyebrow, so I hurriedly raised my hands. “Before you say anything I HAVE informed people. After what happened with Hairy, Tyberius and Angelica, I wanted to avoid revealing it to too many people.”

“It’s fine, we’ll talk about it later,” Mac replied. “Anyway, everyone line up and get ready. The longer we take to cross, the more likely Grey is to notice us and try to intercept, so move as fast as you can.”

“We all understand what’s at stake here,” Olivia muttered. “Trust me, it’s been drilled into our heads.”

“Good,” Mac replied. “Now, get ready. On the count of three. One, two, three!”

We all sprinted into the street as fast as we could, and as we did, I felt a sudden sense of foreboding. I did my best to ignore it, gritting my teeth and sprinting even faster. Safety was only a couple of feet away; all we had to do was reach it. 

Just when I thought we might get away scot-free, a massive white wall materialized in front of me, blocking off the alley. I glanced furtively to my left and saw Grey striding through curtains of flame, bolts of electricity, and even throwing off vines that rose up to entangle his feet, a wicked, almost otherworldly grin on his face. It sent a shiver down my spine.

“Now, now, now, I’ve been looking all over for you. There’s no way I’d let you get away that easily,” he declared confidently. “Come now, let’s play.”