"So, what are we going to do now?" She whispered, her voice shaking, but looking at Erik in the eyes as if he was the leader.
Floyd looked at him as if waiting for him to provide an answer. Stella and Jacob did the same, their expressions still clouded with sadness.
Erik furrowed his brows and chewed on his bottom lip, deep in thought. He desperately searched his mind for a solution to their current problem.
He knew that they needed to act fast if they wanted to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.
His anxiety grew with each passing moment, but he refused to let it consume him. He had to come up with something, and fast.
The problem was that there wasn't much they could do. Without the parents, they couldn't win against the thugs.
They managed to do it outside the club thanks to the number advantage and the surprise effect since he had killed the first guard before he could do anything. Then it was mainly three against one.
The situation was different now since their pursuers were six, and it seemed they specialized in that kind of job.
Erik was right. Simone led a team of five skilled and trained assassins who were part of Matthew's specialized group.
They were experts in covert operations and carried out tasks requiring high precision and discretion.
Simone was the leader and the most skilled among them. He was known for his ruthless nature and his ability to get the job done no matter what.
The rest of the team consisted of five men. They were all handpicked by Matthew himself and underwent intense training before becoming part of Simone's team. Each of them had a specific skill set that made them valuable assets to the group.
Their tasks were varied, ranging from taking out high-value targets to sabotaging rival factions and gathering intelligence. They were known in the underworld for their efficiency and their ability to carry out complex operations without leaving a trace.
However, since Erik wasn't part of the underworld, he didn't know that. However, he was sure that those guys were stronger than the ones they faced until that point.
Erik took a deep breath. "I think the best thing to do would be to hide here, rest and recuperate mana, and wait for Caiden's team," Erik said, breaking the silence.
"Are you sure about that?" Martha asked, her voice small.
"Yes," Erik said. "It's not like we have much of a choice," he added.
"What if they find us?" Gwen asked.
"We run, or we fight," the awakener replied. There was a moment of quiet determination that passed between them. They might not know how to move forward, but they knew they had to keep going.
He then asked, "Amber, any news about your father?"
"I called him five minutes ago, and he said his men were on their way. He also told me he contacted the clans and that they went to the club to save the hostages."
"Good," Floyd said. "At least we have good news."
"What about YOUR FATHER'S group?" Mikey then added.
"I told him to send them here; they should be here in ten minutes at most," she replied.
However, Jacob, Stella, and Enya weren't convinced and talked among themselves, trying not to be heard.
"Hey, do you think her father's group will actually come?" Jacob asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.
"I don't know," Stella replied, her voice tinged with frustration. "They promised to help us, but it's been an hour already, and there's still no sign of them."
Enya, who had been silent until now, spoke up for everyone. "Maybe we should try and find another way out of here. We can't just sit around and wait for them to save us."
"Do you have any suggestions, then?" Gwen asked, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"I don't know; maybe we could try to reach Amber's house? There's got to be a way," Enya said.
"Or we could try and find a way to contact someone closer. Maybe the police or something," she suggested again.
Erik, who had been lost in thought, finally spoke up as he was fed up with this suggestion. "Why are you fixated on the police? I already told you it is a bad idea; they are corrupt! We don't know who we can trust right now."
Floyd nodded in agreement. "He's right. We can't risk getting caught by the wrong people."
Stella's face turned red angrily, and her eyes narrowed into slits as she glared at Floyd. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides, and she stepped forward, leaning into him.
"Always better than to wait for our deaths like this," she replied, clearly agreeing with Enya's suggestion.
Silence descended upon the group once more as they contemplated their options. A couple of minutes went by, but Stella was getting increasingly agitated.
The fact that Caiden's group still hadn't arrived made her more and more nervous by the minute.
She stood up from where she had been sitting, pacing back and forth, her fists clenched tightly by her sides.
"Where the hell are they?!" Stella snapped, her voice shaking with anger.
"We're sitting ducks here, waiting for them to come and save us!"
Erik tried to calm her down. "Stella, we need to keep calm and avoid shouting."
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" Stella interrupted, her voice rising in anger. "We're in this mess because of you. Weren't you the one supposed to find a solution to this mess? Wasn't the whole plan to rescue our parents your work? We wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for you!"
Amber jumped in, defending Erik. "Stella, that's not fair. Erik did the best he could. We wouldn't even have had the chance to free your parents if it wasn't for his plan."
Stella turned her attention towards Amber, her eyes blazing with anger. "Yes, but my mother died regardless, and she wasn't the only one. Not only parents, brothers, and sisters, but even our friends!" The girl shouted.
"Anderson, Luisa, Serena, and Darragh. They are all dead!"
"This is not Erik's fault, Stella; you know it!" Amber replied.
"FUUUCK! We should have never gone to that club in the first place!" Stella replied.
Amber's face fell as she tried to come up with a response. "We did what we could, Stella," Floyd said. "What's done has been done now," he added.
"Oh, fuck off, Floyd," Stella snapped. "I agreed only because I thought Amber's father's team would come soon.
That didn't happen, and now we're stuck here, waiting for some murderers to come and kill us all, hoping that a group of strangers will come and save us. What if they don't come? What if they're not enough? What then?"
Erik tried to reason with Stella. "We have to trust that Caiden's group will come. We just have to hold out until they arrive."
"SHUT UP, PLANT HUGGER!"
"You don't know what you're doing, Stella," Erik spat. "You're risking all of our lives with your foolish act. We need to stick together, stay silent, and be calm, and you're acting like a damn child."
Amber stepped forward, trying to diffuse the situation. "Guys, please," she said, her voice soft. "We don't need to fight amongst ourselves. We're all scared and worried. We need to focus on staying alive and getting out of here."
The tension in the room was palpable, and the rest of the group watched nervously as the argument played out. Gwen took a step forward, her voice firm. "Guys, this isn't helping anyone," she said.
The words seemed to have an effect, and the group slowly began to calm down. But the tension still hung in the air, and it was clear that the argument had left a rift between Erik and Stella. Not that he really cared about her.
He didn't have a good relationship with her at school, which wasn't good now, either.
As they settled back into silence, the fear and uncertainty of their situation washed over them once more. They all knew that their time was running out, and they needed to devise a plan before it was too late.
***
Simone and his men fanned out across the eastern district, moving swiftly and with purpose. They scanned the faces of passersby, scrutinized alleyways and side streets, and kept a keen eye out for any signs of the kids.
As they made their way deeper into the district, Simone's men became more and more vigilant, their senses on high alert for any sign of the kids around these parts.
Matthew's hound knew that Erik, the nation's only awakener, had a secret. Not only was he an awakener, but he had more than the two powers he should have had for some weird reason. He couldn't understand how all of that was possible.
As they moved through the streets, they passed abandoned buildings, boarded-up shops, and rundown houses.
Simone's men checked every possible hiding place, looking for signs of the Red Palace students, who could have ended up only in the eastern district.
He would have hidden in one of the abandoned buildings around these parts if he were in their shoes.
Simone was leading the search, his gaze scanning the area with laser-like intensity. He was determined to find the kids, no matter what it took.
As they approached a particularly rundown area of the district, Simone's men spread out, covering as much ground as possible. They moved silently, their footsteps muffled by the damp, grimy streets.
Suddenly, one of Simone's men spotted movement in the shadows ahead and communicated this over the radio. Soon, Simone arrived there and crept forward to see what the guy saw, his hand hovering over his weapon.
As he drew closer, he could see the faint outline of a figure in the darkness. He approached cautiously, his senses on high alert.
When he got close enough to see who it was, he saw that it was the kids they had been searching for. They looked tired and worn out, hiding inside a building, as he had predicted.
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