The group weaved their way through the city's winding streets, keeping a low profile and trying to avoid any unwanted attention.
Erik, in particular, was on high alert, knowing that the Crystal Cross Gang was still searching for him, but at least they managed to lose the Mambas, at least for now. However, they were clearly still searching for them, and they weren't far, probably. Their advantage was only temporary.
As they approached a large plaza, they could hear the sounds of a bustling crowd growing louder. The group hesitated, unsure of how to proceed since there could be more of the Mambas' men hidden through the crowd.
Besides, it was known that where there were large crowds, shops were present too, and if that was true, it meant the Crystal Cross gang was nearby, as they collected money from them.
Suddenly, they found themselves swept up in the mass of people, each jostling for a spot in the packed square.
The noise was loud, with voices, music, and the clatter of foot traffic all blending into a cacophony of sound that only gave the kids more anxiety. The group tried to stick together, but the press of bodies made it difficult.
Just as they started feeling trapped, they saw a group of Crystal Cross Gang members approaching from the other side of the square. Amber started panicking a bit since she knew they were still searching for his boyfriend.
Erik's eyes scanned the crowd, trying to find a way out of that mess. He noticed a narrow alleyway on the far side of the square and gestured to the rest of the group to follow him. They nodded in agreement and quickly made their way through the throngs of people toward the place.
As they moved, they caught glimpses of the Crystal Cross gang members coming awfully close to them. Erik's hands gripped his flyssa, and so did the others with their respective weapons, and they braced themselves for the possible confrontation.
However, after some tense moments, the gang members went past them, as they didn't notice the Red Palace students.
The group then dashed down the narrow alley, their hearts pounding with adrenaline. Erik paused to catch his breath and glanced around at his companions. They were all panting and sweating, their eyes wide with fear.
He knew they had narrowly escaped danger once again, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the Crystal Cross Gang would be involved somehow, and the next time, they might not be so lucky.
"Why did we suddenly run here?" Patricia asked. She wasn't aware that the Crystal Cross gang was searching for Erik.
"It's a long story," Floyd replied. "It's not the right time to share it."
The group tried to stay hidden, but the anxiety was high, and they were having problems managing it. They had to keep moving to avoid not only the Mambas but also the Crystal Cross Gang members, but the crowd in the adjacent streets would make it difficult.
"I think the best thing to do would be to go to the eastern district. We can go there through the park and reach the eastern district undisturbed," Erik said.
"That's a good idea; the only problem is that we are currently on the opposite side, so to go to the park, we should walk into the crowd again," Gwen said.
"Yeah, I know that," Erik said. "But we do not have any choice."
"Let's catch a breath, shall we?" Jacob said as he observed the exhaustion in his friends' eyes.
"Ok, but we can't waste much time," Erik said. "Just a couple of minutes."
"All right."
Aaron and Mikey then started to look at each other. There was something they hadn't had time to digest yet, and Mikey broke the silence. "So, he died, uh?" He said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Aaron nodded, his eyes downcast. "Yeah… It just feels so unreal."
"I keep thinking about all the times we had together," Mikey said, his voice choked with emotion. "All the memories we made, and now he's just... gone." Aaron placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know, man. It's tough. But we have to stay strong now; we can't let our emotions get the best of us."
Mikey looked up at him, his eyes red-rimmed with tears. "Yeah." He said it; his voice was heavy with emotion. "We remember the good times, the laughs, and the adventures. We hold onto that, and we keep living."
They continued silently waiting for a few moments, lost in their thoughts and memories of their fallen friend. In the meantime, the others' situation wasn't better. They had wasted enough time already, but at least they got some energy back.
Martha's hands shook as she tried to control her breathing, not wanting to draw any attention to herself.
Gwen scanned the adjacent street to find out where the thugs were. She quickly spotted them and told Erik. The problem was that there weren't only Crystal Cross Gang members but also Mambas. Simone and the others finally arrived.
"Let's go," The awakener said, and with that, they headed back to the crowd. However, as they walked through it, battered, bruised, and wounded, they started gathering attention. They had already been lucky enough to avoid it the first time, but they couldn't be lucky twice.
Britney then noticed a group of onlookers approaching and realized they were about to be discovered. "We need to move," she whispered urgently to the others.
But it was too late. One of the onlookers looked in their direction. "This guy has been wounded," he said while pointing at Erik's chest and shoulder wounds.
Immediately, the gang members' attention was drawn to the group, but luckily it was just the Mambas. Simone and the others started pushing through the crowd, determined to reach Erik and the others.
Erik and his friends tried to move faster, but the crowd was dense, and they were pushed and jostled from all sides.
Panic set in as they realized they were trapped. The thugs were closing in, and there seemed to be no way out. Amber's hands glowed with an eerie green light, and she prepared to release her corrosive gas as a last resort.
But then, a loud commotion caught the gang members' attention. Mikey used his power to conjure his flesh-eating bugs, which scared the crowd. The thugs turned to see what was happening.
"Nice job, Mikey!" Floyd said.
It was just the distraction the group needed. They hid better and ran as fast as they could, dodging curious onlookers.
Finally, they found themselves on the adjacent street. Though the Mambas were still on their tail, they could see them going in their direction from afar.
The group kept sprinting through the twisting alleyways of the city, their footsteps pounding on the pavement as they dodged around corners and leaped over obstacles. But suddenly, Britney let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground, clutching her ankle.
"Ow, ow, ow," she moaned, tears streaming down her face. "I think I sprained my ankle."
The others quickly gathered around her, trying to help her up. But Britney winced and pulled away.
"Sorry, it hurts too much," she said. "I can't put any weight on it," fear evident in her eyes.
Aaron knelt next to her and examined her ankle. "It's definitely swollen," he said. "We need to keep moving, but we can't leave Britney behind."
Erik nodded in agreement. "We'll have to carry her," he said. "But we need to do it carefully. We can't afford to slow down too much."
Gwen stepped forward. "I can carry her," she said. Britney looked up at her, gratitude written all over her face. "Thank you," she said.
Gwen crouched down, and carefully Britney jumped on her back in a piggyback ride. The others gathered around them, forming a protective circle as they started moving again.
But carrying Britney proved to be more complicated than they anticipated since they had to take secondary roads in order to avoid the crowds. These alleys were narrow and twisting, and there were obstacles everywhere, making their escape hard.
Gwen had to carefully navigate around piles of rubble, broken glass, and other debris, all while trying to keep Britney as stable as possible as they walked through the alleys.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group was on high alert, scanning their surroundings for any sign of danger. As they rounded a corner, they suddenly heard shouting behind them. "Got you!" Simone shouted. He finally managed to reach the kids.
The group froze, and Erik quickly signaled for them to duck into a nearby alley. But as they hurriedly descended the narrow passageway, they realized it was a dead end.
Panic set in as they heard the sound of approaching footsteps; they knew that they were trapped.
"Fuck!" Floyd shouted.
"We're done for," Aaron whispered, fear written all over his face.
But just then, Martha stepped forward, her eyes blazing with determination. "Not yet," she said.
She raised her arms, and thorny vines shot out of the ground, forming a sort of stairway of vines that allowed them to get past the brick wall that barred their way.
They immediately stepped onto the vines, and by running on them, they went past their obstacle. They continued running, with Britney still on Gwen's back, but they knew they couldn't keep up this pace forever. They were too slow.
As they went out the other side of the alley, passing by the wall. The vines disappeared, and the thugs were left in front of this huge wall they couldn't get past.
"We need to get a roundabout way," Simone said.
At the same time, Erik and the others finally managed to reach the park entrance. The problem was that the Mambas were still on their tail, and they knew where they were headed. The park was the obvious solution to escape, as it was the closest place where they could hide.
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