Chakra Wizard
Active member
Awards
Evasion
Keeping close to the tree line as often as he could, should he be forced to hide from officials, David continued his attempts to get in touch with his father as he walked onwards. Still in shock at this implausible turn of events, he remained in constant observance of the adjacent highway, stiffening his body every time a large vehicle drove by.
“This can’t be happening. …It’s just a dream, that’s all it is. A dream…a nightmare…”
Feeling a vibration against his leg, he quickly jumped aside, disappearing beneath the shade of the trees, before pulling out his phone and answering it.
“D-dad?”
“Hey, buddy. Sorry, the team and I were in the middle of something rather important.”
“…Okay.”
“So, …are you alright? You called about seven times and it sounds like you’re breathing rather hard. …What happened?”
He still wasn’t entirely sure of how he would inform his father of what just happened at the school. …At this point, tears were already beginning to develop in his eyes.
“…Um, …do you remember that…that thing we were talking about this morning?”
Trying to recall the incident that his son was talking about, it didn’t take much time for Lawrence to remember…and it took even less for him to deduce what had just happened.
“Uh, …yeah, I…oh my God.”
At this point, the tears were sliding down David’s face in clusters…and his sobbing was becoming more and more audible to his father. …He could only imagine the expression now resting on his face.
“Dad, I…I’m scared. …W-what do I do?”
Silence split their conversation into two fractions. …That wasn’t a good sign.
“Dad, …please help me.”
A long sigh was heard on the other end of the line, …causing David to fall to his knees as the number of tears running down his face slowly increased.
“I-I-I don’t know, baby. …There’s not much I can do for you anymore.”
Any faint sense of hope still in his heart immediately vanished. …Even his own father could no longer protect him.
“I…I can’t…go home?”
“…I’m afraid not. Grace doesn’t share the same sympathy that I do, David, …and I’m not willing to put your life at risk to believe that she’ll set aside her personal views on…on Walkers, …even if it’s to help you.”
After another drawn-out breath through his nose, he finally managed to dry his tears for the time being…and focus solely on the matter at hand.
“…Alright. …So, what can I do now?”
“…Well, for one, wherever you decide to go, …don’t tell me. I can’t allow myself to be a potential source of information. …And stick to the shadows, no matter where you are…and no matter what you do. You now have an excellent means of hiding from the H.E.A.T., …so use it as much as you can.”
“…Okay. Do you know anywhere I might be able to go?”
“That’s for you to decide, baby. Like I said, keep that information to yourself as best you can. …Where are you now?”
Taking a quick look around, he spotted a mile marker a few hundred feet away and walked over to investigate, making sure to keep within the shadows as Lawrence had told him to.
“I’m heading south on Highway 24. Right now, I’m at mile marker…178.”
“…Good. You’re already fifteen miles from the nearest town. Now, listen carefully to what I’m gonna ask you to do next.”
“…Uh-huh?”
David had no way of knowing what his father would ask of him, but whatever it might be, …he knew it involved heading out into the open. …He was right.
“…and once you make your way into town, I want to find the nearest ATM and withdraw every last dollar you can out of it. …After that, trash the debit card. You can’t afford to use it anymore.”
“Alright. And…once I’ve done that?”
“…I don’t know. Just try to find a good place to hold up in for a while and ensure that no one knows where it is. And when you’re getting food, only purchase what is absolutely necessary for survival. …Just stay alive, …no matter what.”
“…Okay. …Dad, will I see-”
“David, don’t ask me that.”
At this point, …even Lawrence couldn’t hold back his tears.
“I…I wouldn’t wanna have to say ‘no’ to you.”
David practically forced his hand to hold the phone away from his ear as tears returned to his eyes, as well. …If there was anything in the world he couldn’t bear to listen to, …it was the sound of one of his parents losing any and all emotional stability. …He could only thank God that their conversation was over the telephone…and that he didn’t have to see his father in his current state.
“Dad, …I’ll have money once I’ve retracted it from the ATM. …I-I’ll try to find as many payphones as I can and call you as often as I’m able to. …They can’t trace me that way, …can they?”
“…No, they won’t be able to trace you through payphones, but…that money is your means of survival now, David. Don’t waste it on-”
“That’s not a waste, Dad. …I’ll need that extra strength from hearing your voice, …just as much as I’ll need food and water.”
In his current state, he would’ve gladly given up potential meals just to hear his father’s voice again.
“…Okay. But, not so often, David, not while Grace is around. …You know my work hours. Call me, then.”
“…Got it. And Dad?”
“…Yes, baby.”
“I…I love you.”
“…I love you, too, son. …God knows I do. …I’ll find you again, David, …in Heaven or in Earth, I’m gonna see you one more time.”
And with that said, David’s last connection to the world as he knew it was severed, …if only for now. For the time being, though, he had far more important things to worry about, …such as his safety. …His father, on the other hand, wasn’t about to allow his teenage son to scavenge alone in the world for very long. Moments after hanging up his cell phone, he stepped out of the lab for a second to call another number that he’s kept in his contacts list for a long time. Rapidly losing his patience, he began pacing back and forth as soon as the phone started ringing. …In reality, he wasn’t forced to wait nearly as long as he felt he had.
“Hello?”
He hesitated. …It had been so long since he heard her voice. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say first.
“Lawrence, are you there?”
“…Yeah, I’m here. …Kelly, …I have a favor to ask you, …but first, I have to tell you something.”
“…Lawrence, what’s going on?”
David stood by, frozen with fear, as he attempted to muster up enough courage to step out from beneath the tree line. …He had entered town no more than ten minutes ago and, while there was no sign of any nearby authority figures, he remained skeptical of his wellbeing. …Who could truly blame him, though?
“C’mon, c’mon. …I can do this. Just walk over, withdraw some money, and run back to the shadows. That’s it. …Alright, I’ve got this.”
Finding the boost of morale he needed, he took one last look around for any daytime strollers or street cameras before becoming visible to the world once again. Nothing seemed to change as he stepped back out into the light, which he supposed was a good sign. Attempting to keep his figurative gaze solely on his objective and his literal gaze off of any of the few people walking nearby, he continued onward towards the ATM in front of the small store. He quickly pulled his debit card out, trying hard to prevent himself from looking around, as the parking lot cameras would surely pick up on such suspicious behavior. Typing in his PIN number, he decided to check what was in his account first, so as to know how much he would be taking out.
“…Let’s see here, …about seven hundred in checking…and a little over nine hundred in savings. Well, that should last at least four or five months, …but what about after that?”
Withdrawing every last dollar he could that was in multiples of twenty, he did as his father told him and threw the card into the nearby trash can. …It no longer held any use to him.
“Alright, I gotta get the hell back out of here.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t make it very far before the large booth was bombarded with gunfire from a distance, causing David to dive behind the trash can, petrified with fear.
“Shit! They’ve found me already! …But, how the hell did they know I…”
Poking his head out from behind his small shield, he caught a glimpse inside the remains of the ATM, confirming his suspicions.
“…Damn it. There are shadows on the ground. …My feet must’ve been invisible while I was getting money. …Shit! I gotta get back into the woods now!”
His words were regrettably easier said than done, though. …With armed men surrounding him both in unknown numbers and locations, …his next move could very well be his last as he knew it.
“…Hehe, looks like the little freak doesn’t have the balls to come out here and face the music.”
“Briggs, shut the hell up. Walker or not, that’s still a kid from what I can tell. He’s gonna face execution in a prison, …not unprovoked manslaughter in a parking lot. …Where’s the humanity in that?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, Isaac. That’s not a kid, it’s a damn animal. Why’s it matter-?”
“I don’t care what it is! It ain’t our duty to gun down Walkers. The H.E.A.T. is charged with that responsibility, so what’s that say about us if we decide to just gun him down right here…and in front of them, no less?”
Isaac’s free hand pointed at the windows of the nearby store, Briggs looked inside to see that a few spectators gathered around after hearing the gunfire. …Many of them were young children. He took a long, deep sigh before replying.
“…Copy.”
Walking over to his partner and patting him on the shoulder, Isaac then turned to address a third officer, much younger than the other two.
“…And speaking of the H.E.A.T., …Johnson. Have you made any contact yet?
“Yes, sir. They’ve already dispatched a team that’ll be here in no more than fifteen minutes, sir.”
“…Hmhm, their dispatch time is getting faster and faster. And don’t be worryin’ yourself with that ‘sir’ nonsense. I’m only twelve years older than you are, so don’t go makin’ me feel older than I am.”
“Got it. …Sorry, sir.”
“Eh, it’s okay. Alright, for now, we’ll just make sure he remains here and let them take over when they arrive.”
Isaac began heading for their patrol car, though not before passing one more message to Briggs.
“Tyron, …if he gets within fifty feet of the tree line, …don’t bother waitin’ any longer.”
“…No need to ask twice.”
He shook his head and smirked before continuing on his way. …David, meanwhile, was searching for any means of protection possible, in order to get safely across the parking lot again.
“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon! Give me something, damn it!”
But, there was nothing. The only things lying around him were shards of broken glass…and the trash can he hid behind. The lid was made of plastic, so it would make a rather pitiful excuse for a bullet-proof shield. He looked across the parking lot. There was approximately two hundred feet between him and the shade beneath the tree line…and he would have run across every inch of it.
“Man, what the hell is this kid waitin’ for? Doesn’t he know that the H.E.A.T. are probably on their way-?”
Briggs cut himself off as he saw David jump out from behind the trash can in a full sprint. Using all of the training he had gone through over his thirteen years as a cop, he aimed his firearm perfectly…and pulled the trigger. …Fortunately for David, nothing happened. Isaac shouted from inside their patrol car.
“Let me guess! You used up all your ammo shootin’ up the ATM, huh, jackass?”
Briggs was far too upset to reply.
“Well, you better grab him before he disappears! Go!”
This order now set in his mind, Briggs leaped over the car in front of him and took off after his target at high speed. Realizing that no shots had been fired, David turned his head in the direction of the officers, only to see Briggs in pursuit. …What caught his eye, however, was the speed at which he was moving, as well as the look on his face as he ran.
“No signs of exhaustion, …pretty good velocity, …Shit! He’s a Cardiac!”
Almost of the parking lot, David put everything he had left into one final burst of speed. …Even Briggs was rather impressed by this remarkable feat.
“Heh, the boy’s got a nice pair of legs. …But, he’s got another thing comin’ if he thinks he’s in the clear!”
Increasing the motion in his own legs, he leaped forward and managed to grab ahold of David just as he dashed out of the parking lot and into the middle of the road. The strain on his muscles after the chase proved too much for the young Shadowwalker, leaving him unconscious upon hitting the ground.
“…Gotcha.”
All the events that followed, David could not account for, and he finally awakened six hours later in a small bed that wasn't his own...in a room that wasn't familiar. His vision still hindered and unable to see through the darkness, he believed himself to be inside a laboratory, …one where scientists tested on Shadowwalkers. The thought caused David to shiver violently, …but a newly emerged voice put all of his fears to rest…almost.
“Relax. …I have a good idea of what you’re thinking right now…and believe me, your assumptions are far from correct.”
Though he was undoubtedly more frightened than he had ever been, David wasn’t about to allow his captor the satisfaction of knowing that.
“…And you have a way to prove that to me?”
“Hmhmhmhmhmhm, …well, you could take a look around. …That should help clear a few things.”
Following this mysterious person’s request, he looked around the room he was now in, noticing two things. The first was that the shadow that enveloped the room was not nearly as dark as he originally believed. …He could see every corner of it. And with this in mind, he determined that…either his interrogator wasn’t in the room…or he simply couldn’t be seen.
“…Shadowwalker…”
“What happened to those cops who were trying to kill me?”
“Hmhm, …so you’ve already figured it out. …They’re still alive, …though that Cardiac is most likely in the infirmary right now. The two of us vanished just before the H.E.A.T. arrived.”
“He…he beat up a Cardiac? …Who the hell is this guy?”
“And how did you know to find me in the first place? …Do I know you?”
“…Not in the slightest.”
Last edited:
