Chapter 13: What?

It's cold...

And dark.

A piercing wind sliced through the darkness as I pried my eyes open, revealing a snow-shrouded mountain.

Confusion and dread washed over me as I struggled to grasp my surroundings.

'I can't speak...' I thought, my eyes widening in terror as I realized my mouth felt paralyzed, a mute witness to my own fear.

'Stay calm,' I told myself, though even breathing seemed nearly impossible.

I scanned the bleak, monochrome world around me, swallowed by snow.

'A dream?' I wondered, desperately seeking a shred of normality.

"No, it isn't," came a disembodied, chilling voice from the void.

'!!!' My head snapped around, searching for the source, but the howling wind was my only response.

"Your endeavor is futile."

"Let us not waste time."

"You must be warned not to interfere."

'Interfere?' I thought, my calm facade barely masking the panic beneath.

"Her death is inevitable."

A cold sweat broke out as I felt my entire body turn as pale as the snow surrounding me.

'Who?' I demanded, my voice a mere whisper against the roaring wind.

"You will find out soon enough..." the voice murmured, ominously fading away.

'No! Please! Tell me! Is it Hope!? IS IT!? PLEASE! ANSWER ME!' I screamed, but my cries were swallowed by the relentless wind, leaving me isolated and frantic, with only the encroaching darkness and biting cold for company.

A sudden flash of light blinded my eyes, causing me to squint.

"You awake?" said Jepp.

"What?" I said, disoriented as I felt a cloth covering my head.

"We're here," said Aimee.

"Watch your step!" a man instructed.

As we carefully navigated the stairs, we were guided to a couch where I squeezed in beside Jepp.

"Take them off," one of them said.

The cloth was removed, and a temperature gun was pointed at us.

"Anyone got Tylenol? My shoulder's killing me," Jepp said, trying to ease the tension.

The masked woman nodded, indicating we were safe.

"By the way, how's your nose doing?" Jepp asked the man he'd likely punched while I passed out.

The man removed his headgear and retorted, "Better than your face when I'm done with it."

But Jepp came prepared. "Bold, coming from a man with a mullet."

"Ooooh, burn," I said, laughing.

The man just glared at me and then at Jepp, his eyes shining with recognition.

"Wait a minute," said the man, leaning closer to Jepp.

"I know you." Jepp glanced at Aimee and me, but his attention quickly returned to the man.

"Holy shit!" the man exclaimed. "You're Tommy Jepperd, aren't you?" He grinned as if he'd found a long-lost friend.

The three of us exchanged awkward glances.

"You're number 93, you're Skull Crusher!"

"That was a long time ago," said Jepp.

"Bullshit. No. You knocked heads with the best of them, man!" the man said, complimenting Jepp.

"Conference—"

Seeing the man wouldn't stop talking, I tuned him out and looked around their base.

'An airfield, huh...' I mused. 'Makes sense, given they're called the Air Lords.' I nodded, accepting the explanation. Then I saw someone approaching the steps.

A woman.

"Cut the shit, Rufus," she ordered.

"Looks like she's the leader," I whispered to both of them.

"So, who do we have here?" the woman asked her crew.

The man now named Rufus continued talking about Jepp, which I ignored. Rufus stopped when she looked at him.

The woman refocused on us, especially Aimee. "I can't say that I know you."

Then she glanced at both Jepp and me. "Or your friends."

Aimee spoke up. "You might know my voice."

"We've spoken on the radio. You're Dolly, right?"

"My name is Aimee Eden."

"I started the preserve for hybrids."

Dolly showed no reaction. "I'm not so good with voices."

Aimee, not giving up, said, "Then check my right pocket."

Dolly signaled Rufus to retrieve a paper from Aimee's pocket.

"My daughter Wendy drew that," Aimee said, her voice filled with pride.

"You dropped off thousands of copies for me across the Western territories."

Rufus handed the drawing to Dolly. I got a glance at it and noted that Aimee's daughter could draw better than my sister.

"She's nine now. An incredible little girl," Aimee said proudly. "But now she's trapped with the Last Men."

"They've got her and the rest of my kids, and..." Aimee's voice trailed off as she looked at both of us.

"His boy, Gus. And his sister, Hope."

Aimee looked at Dolly.

"They need us. And we need your help to get them back."

Dolly processed Aimee's information.

"I'll make it quick. I like my neck, and I don't stick it out for anyone unless there's a deal to be made."

"Dropping those flyers cost you 100 MRE tokens."

I inwardly whistled at the price. 'Aimee has some great negotiation skills.'

"Raiding your Preserve?" Dolly scoffed. "It's going to cost you a hell of a lot more than that."

"So..." Dolly shrugged, indicating it was our problem now. "What's in it for us?"

Jepp, who seemed deep in thought, finally spoke. "How about the spoils of war? The Last Men have packed that place with food, meds, guns, even tanks."

"Imagine having a tank in your outfit, lady. Might have to start calling yourselves the 'Air and Land Lords.'" Jepp threw in the final pitch.

Rufus giggled like a kid receiving a gift for Christmas.

"Plus, nobody knows that place better than she does."

"They probably have some fuel there, too," Rufus added.

"Love that," said another member of Dolly's crew.

Dolly, considering her crew's reactions, finally nodded.

"All right, Aimee Eden. You've got yourself a deal. But any bullshit and you and your friends are on your own." Aimee nodded in agreement.

Dolly signaled Rufus, and he cut the ropes binding our wrists.

"Come on, Skull Crusher. you and your friends need to follow Dolly," Rufus said.

[------------------------------]

As the sound of rain echoed from outside the airfield, I walked beside Dolly.

"Our operation has grown since we last spoke," Dolly said. "Medicine, scrap, antiques. Someone's buying, we'll fly it."

That made me perk up. So many of these items would be useful for upgrading my ride...

'Wait! I left it at Essex City!' I panicked inwardly but didn't show it.

I shook my head and calmed down, remembering that I'd hidden it in a building near Aimee's place.

We stopped, and I listened as Aimee spoke.

"Hey, as long as they get what they want, we get what we want, right? Just be cool," she comforted Jepp.

A commotion behind us grabbed our attention, withdrawing us from our crisis.

"Oof, that's going to cost a lot of repairs," I winced as I saw a damaged forklift.

"I'm being cool," Jepp said.

We continued on our way, dismissing the commotion.

[-------------------------]

I was in the forest, peeing after getting permission from Dolly. They were probably discussing Aimee's plan.

Then I heard a whistle.

I snapped my head around but saw nothing.

Another whistle came from behind me. I looked and was greeted by the same giant white deer I had seen in my dreams.

I froze, my breath hitching as it looked at me.

"What do you want?" I whispered.

"Don't interfere with fate," it said in a loud whisper.

"You did it once... so no more." A strong gust of wind knocked me off my feet and caused me to subconsciously close my eyes.

When I opened them, the deer is gone. I stood up and ran, trying to find Aimee and the others.

My mind buzzed with questions:

'Who was that? When did I intervene? How did it speak and appear in my dream?'

"If this bitch likes to play mysterious then I'll play rebellious." I muttered my eyes filled with determination to save whoever that deer is saying.

[--------------------------]

I returned and saw that they were still preparing to discuss about the plan,'

'Should I tell them about what happened?...' I sighed thinking about how ridiculous I'll look if I told them what truly happened.

"Ah! There's the pissing kid." Shouted Rufus as he laugh.

"Ugh, fuck you mullet." I cursed at him though my face held a smile knowing that it's just a semi-friendly banter.

"Enough, we're now starting." Dolly ordered. So we stopped and i stood beside Rufus. She then signaled to Aimee to start and Aimee took a deep breath and began.

"As far as we know, our kid are in the old pump room here." She said as she took the animal figurines and placed them at the pumphouse.

"But the Last Men have fortified every entrance and exit. And posted guards here, here, and here." Basically the guards are at the front, middle, and back.

"We burned out chance from entering from underground after our last attempt." Jepp said then he added. "They've increased security."

"As you can see, options on the ground are limited." Said Aimee as Rufus peeks behind her.

"So basically, you're screwed." Said Jarold one of Dolly's crew.

"What are you talking about? I can do this job by myself. Just fly in and drop a piano on Abbot." Said Tristan confidently.

"Not the Steinway. We just found a buyer for that." Said Mary crushing Tristans plan.

"Oh." Tristan said as he heard what Mary spoke of.

"Can I buy the piano if the buyer canceled it?" I spoke up, looking at Dolly.

"Sure. If the buyer did canceled it." Dolly shrugged, making me smile.

"We could napalm the place, though." Mary said with Tristan agreeing with her. I opened my mouth to argue but what Mary said after made me stop.

"Oh wait, that's right. We're out of napalms." Mary said speaking facts.

Rufus went beside Aimee and said to her straight in her face. "Seems like a lot of trouble to go through for a bunch of mangy half-breeds, don't it?" He said as he looked at Dolly if she's agreeing or not.

Dolly just kept silent.

"Hey, mullet, watch your words please my sister's one of them." I said, warning him to tread lightly.

Rufus looked at me and said. "Why I'm not wrong an I? Plus, they all taste like chicken anyway. Yeah, dip that son of a bitch in batter and you fry it up! With a side of Collard greens." Thus made me angry but not outright punching him but instead it made me wonder it they truly taste like chicken.

"Can the shit talk!" Jepp screamed making me appaled as to why he did it. But it did made them quiet though not Rufus.

"Oh, well, excuse me very much" he sarcastically said.

"I didn't realize that the Skull Crusher was such a bleeding heart." Rufus said his voice filled with what might be called pity.

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do." Jepp countered.

But that didn't stop Rufus the menace to speak. "I know who you were..." he said as he put his arms on the table and leaned. "I just stopped caring when you chocked." As soon as he said that I made a face that no mother would ever love. Inside my mind I did.

'Holy shit! Jepperd just got obliterated!' I thought as I breath out of laugh.

Then I saw Jepp tense ready to pounce. I was about to step in but Dolly did it first.

"Everybody take five." She said but Rufus 'Hmm, huh'ed Jepp as he head out with a victorious grin.

"Sorry about that. They talk too damn much." Dolty who I thought to be stone cold apologized.

Aimee and Jepp exchange glances leaving me out of it.

"Let's just get back to work." Said Jepp his steam becoming cool.

"What is Rufus before all this anyway? Is he in Roast battle?" I asked receiving an amused smile from Dolly.

"You can say that." She said.

"Still can't believe Jepp got roasted with words." I said with a chuckle.

"Jess, enough. I though you promised me not to antagonize him." Aimee said guilt tripping ne with facts.

"Oh yeah, I did say that." I said as I scratched my head and turned to Jepp. "Sorry." Jepp just nodded accepting my apology.

[-----------------------------]

<POV: Hope> (Anothe one)

Distracted with my thoughts, Bobby got out of my hold, which I let him, I'm not evil.

I watched Bobby as he walked where Gus was, and I was impressed by how stealthy he could be. Seriously, not one of my friends noticed him.

Then I see Gus carry Bobby onto a pipe. Bobby opened the blocker or whatever its called I'll just look it up when I get home. Causing a loud sound which attracted the attention of Wendy and the others.

As Bobby climbed through the pipe Wendy spoke her voice in shock. "Bobby, what are y-... what are you doing?"

"Bobby!" Wendy shouted like how an older sister would.

"Bobby go find help." Said Bobby in third person.

My friends followed Wendy but I remained seated basking the sunlight that goes through the cell.

"Bobby, wait!" Wendy called out in desperation.

Wendy then turned to Gus acting upset. "What did you say to him? Where's he going?" Wendy demanded.

"I think he's going to find Jess, Jepp, and your mom." He guessed. A bad move. Well everything is a bad move if you're facing an angry woman, well... that's what Uncle Lucas and Mike told me. Also my big brother.

"You shouldn't have let him go." Wendy said her voice seething with frustration. "What if he gets hurt?" Wendy said spouting facts.

"If anything happens to him..." Wendy trailed on having a hard time to find the right words.

"I just..." Gus said trying to reason.

'He's a gonner' I though as I shook my head and facepalmed myself with a heavy sigh.

"You were right." Gus suddenly said,  agreeing to Wendy, which made me perk up.

'Oh?' I thought in anticipation.

"Right about what?" Said Wendy her angry still not disappearing but I can tell she's getting soft to him. Because normally when she's scolding one of us, mom would stop her. And scold us herself with her being more tame.

'Ugh, why is my whole life a drama.' I groaned in annoyance.

"I shouldn't have lied about Roy. It only made things worse." He said as his face turned pitiful that someone would pity him out of kindness and also pity.

'Hmmm... if we're planning on escaping here the switch blade that my brother gave me will probably be usefull.' I thought as I remembered the day that Uncle Lucas took me to go hunting and made me kill a rabbit which made me unable to sleep for awhile.

"Just... keep an eye out for Bobby." Wendy said as she returned to where I'm at and I can see the small flustered cheeks of hers. Which made me grin.

'Oh my... looks like it's true.' I thought as my head is filled with delusional fantasies about them.

[---------------------------------]

It took Dolly and her crew hours to prepare even with our help time, which has reached midnight, and we are still not done.

It's because of the problem on what and what not to bring, and also on how to replicate the spores of the purple flowers that we intend to use to get Abbot and his men out of the preserve giving Aimee and Jepp a chance to sneak in and rescue our kids/sibling while I go into a nearest building and give backup by shooting them with my sniper.

As Jepp and I and also a few others sit by a lit barrel enjoying and covering with each other even though Jepp looked like a man full of thoughts once again.

I heard footsteps approaching from behind, and I turned and saw Aimee. Giving Aimee a nod, I returned to roasting my rabbit that is seasoned with herbs, peppers, and such invoking a pleasuring aroma.

By my side Aimee reached Jepp and spoke. "Where did that come from?"

Then she went infront of him. "That was really stupid."

"I know." Said Jepp.

"And yet you still did it."I said feeding more fuel to the flame.

Jepp ignored me and said. "Did I..." Jepp trailed on thinking Dolly now refused to help.

But Aimee spoke quick "No. Thankfully, I was able to talk everybody off the ledge." By hearing what she said I was bow even more amazed furthering proving my earlier statement about how she's good with negotiating.

Aimee still not done continued speaking. "You didn't have to do that for me, you know?" I shook my head and spoke on my mind 'Ahh, she's still stubborn.'

"Maybe I did." Siad Jepp still in denial.

"I know you're hurting... and I know you're angry, but if we're gonna work together to trust each other, I need you to talk to me." She said trying to help him ease his burdens. She then continued "There is too much at stake to let these asshole get under your skin." Said Aimee encouraging Jepp to stay strong. And I glanced at the woman behind Aimee to which she gave me a thumbs-up saying she doesn't care.

Jepp had a hesitant look on his face spoke. "It wasn't them."

"It..."

With a heavy sigh Jepp spoke his voice filled with sadness and regret. "My wife gave birth to our son right after the Crumble. Her name was Louisa." I listened quietly my eyes filled with respect seeing how much willpower Jepp had to tell this to us.

"We never got to name our son before.... before the government took him from me." I frowned as I inwardly said. 'They probably experimented on his son then.' Now my eyes us filled with sadness and pity.

"I got desperate. Tracked down an old friend for advice. He had joined the Last Men, back when they first started calling themselves that." I widened my eyes and looked at him in amazement and respect 'I amount of pain a man has to go through to achieve what they're dreaming for and sometimes we don't end up achieving it.'

"He said he had contacts. Said they could help me find my family if I joined up too."Jepp hi guys his head low feeling ashamed while Aimee shook her head with disappointment. While a grimly thought about what possibly happened next, 'they died didn't they?'

"When you asked me what I did with them... I lied to you." Said Jepp making me confused 'when did they talk about it? In the truck?' I guessed and accepted it as that.

Jepp now having a hard time to speak still spoke. "I was one of the guys who rounded up the kids and brought them in." Aimee now face filled with horror and disgust.

"And I was good at it. They called me the 'hybrid catcher'." Said Jepp as Aimee's fist clenched and her face filled with an Incandescence amount of rage.

"I don't know if I was the one who took your kids. I'll never know. But even if it wasn't me, I know it was someone like me. And I have to live with that. Knowing that I tore families apart. So I could get mine back." Jepps face is now saying he's sorry and he regrets it till this day. While I could understand I still a bit angry about him doing it.

Aimee then lunched at Jepp throwing poor executed punches at Jepp' chest.

Jepp took it like a champ not buding even while he's sitting.

"I trusted you!" Aimee gritted her teeth as she punched and punched Jepp.

If felt so out of place, seeing it happen and not doing anything.

Jepp tried to speak but he couldn't muster up words. "I trusted you!!" Said Aimee still not done.

Aimee stopped and looked at Jepp. "And did you ever get them back?" Aimee asked the most obvious question. I rolled my eyes and thought 'Of course not, if he did he wouldn't be with travelling along side Gus.'

Jepp shook his head and Aimee spoke. "Ah. Thank you for telling me." She said as she stormed out she then looked at me and her eyes became apologetic. Apologizing that I witness that.

Jepp teared up, and I hugged him, patting him in the back, telling him that it's ok for a man to cry.

And he did.

We stayed there for 10 minutes before Jepp got his bearings together and said. "You won't tell anyone about this, ok?" He said as his eyes were saying that he won't take no for an answer.

I nodded my head and placed my hand in my chest and said. "I swear that I won't tell a single soul about this by the name of the bro code."

Jepp let out a small laugh and said. "You and your theatrics" I smiled in return glad that I made him better even if it's just a little.

Soon it was time for us to board the plane and raid the preserve.

I entered the one where Rufus is planning to be dropped off at a tip of a building to assist with my sniper.

The engine started, and we took off. Not knowing what transpired.

"Sit tight, butter cup, this is gonna be a long ride." Said Rufus as he leaned into his chair and relaxed.

I did the same with my gear stopped in me already, so I just have to jump. Eventually, fatigue caught up, and I fell into a deep slumber.

"Wake up! Problem child." Rufus screamed, startling me awake.

"Were here." He said as I saw towering buildings from afar.

"There drop me off over there." I said as I pointed at a building somewhat near the preserve.

"Sure, raccoon." Said Rufus. I rolled my eyes and said. "Can you please just stick to one name."

"Now, where's the fun in that." He said as he laughed like a lunatic. I let our groan and prepared to jump.

"Junping in 3... 2... 1..." as the I reached the last number I jumped out of the plane and a surge of adrenaline rushed through me, which i found ridiculous since im in no danger. Anyway, I skydived for a few seconds then I opened up my chute and stuck the landing.

"Wow, that's... amazing." I said as I heavily breathed, calming myself down.

"Right, get back to work." I said as I pat myself down cleaning my dirty arctic military pants. And assembled my gun and set up my spot.

"Now I just need to wait for the signal." I muttered as I lay there very still.

I watched through the scope as they dropped a walkie which Abbot took inside.

Then, a plane flew above the preserve and dropped the purple flower. The chemical of the 'spore' would likely leave them a bit disoriented. For humans, it would but for hybrids? It won't.

How? I made it. That's how.

I watched as they scramble to get out while tripping and falling down. I laughed seeing how comical the collisions and falls.

Then Abbot went out, followed by his men.

"Hmm, they're going to try and shoot the planes down..." I muttered as they rode in their ride and went to the top floor of the parking lot.

The vehicles they rode on went back to the preserve. Leaving Abbot and his men on the top of the building.

As they prepared to shoot down the planes, I shot three of them. I watched as they got behind the large metal thing.

I retracted from the scope and drank some water to quench my thirst. Then, by what seems like fate, they manage to shoot down one plane. Rufus's plane, to be exact, the other planes retreated, leaving Rufus alone. But I know that they tried to insist Rufus to leave, but the thought of having a tank is too hard to pass by is probably what Rufus is thinking.

NEXT CHAPTER MIGHT TAKE WEEKS