Free Minds

Chapter 61.

     There were only two words in my head at the moment. And I'd be damned if I didn't yell them out with all my might.

"TALISE, RUN!!!"

   Dorian, Rav and I seemed to have one mind as we all cried out the same thing in unison. No one stopped after the first time, and when Camila joined in soon after, each shout countering the previous one with more ferocity.

   I never thought the sounds of heavy breathing and screeching metal would give me so much hope, but they did. They were indications that Talise wasn't giving up. That she was running her heart out. That she stood a chance of making it out of Zav—

   The loud crash that boomed through Rav's speakers froze our tongues and breathing. The next few seconds constituted of scraping and shuffling until we heard,

"LET ME GO! LET GO—"

"SHUT UP!" The yell from Eugene was piercing enough to even make me wince from my end.

"Talise!" I was practically sharing Rav's chair as I cried out into his mic, "Fight, do you hear me?! Don't let them take you away!"

"There you go again, Beth," I stiffened at the scolding tone of voice by Eugene. "Giving your best friend horrible advice. Will you ever learn? You and the others decided to involve the innocent in a battle you are doomed to lose. I hope you know that everything that's happening to Talise is your fault. You..."

   Keeping my hands pressed over my scorching ears to avoid the remaining words that came from him proved useless. The damage was already done. Now, nothing was capable of hindering my mind from replaying what Eugene said.

   Which, let's face it, I already knew to be the truth.

   This was my fault. Talise was in grave danger because of me.

"Beth, don't listen to him!" Tali's call appeared so far away. "Let me go, you creep!"

   All of a sudden, a loud thud resonated through Rav's device—comparable to the noise from a sandbag finally falling after being tossed from a six story building— right before a sickening, goosebump-inducing scream.

"Li!" It didn't take a genius to realise she'd been thrown across the room.

"I'm okay, Beth," Tali's reply was interrupted by hysterically deep chest coughs. "I mean... I would just..." more coughs "I would just prefer not to be tossed across a room like a paper doll, but I'm okay, I promise!"

   I shook my head with an aggressive edge, barely conscious of the tears flowing down my face in streams. Why were we still standing here when we could save her?

"Camila, drive us to Zavlon now," I said, my throat raw and scratchy from all the shouting. "We can break in and, and—"

"Beth, no," Tali coughed again.

"What do you mean, no? Camila, don't listen to her driv—"

"They're here." She erupted into more coughs after whispering.

   Eugene must have definitely bumped Tali's head or something. First, protesting my idea of rescuing her and now, she was rambling out of context words. I had to get her here before she really lost it.

   By knowing glances exchanged by the others, I didn't seem to be the only one who believed she clearly wasn't doing well.

"Who do you mean by 'they', Tali?" Rav was the only one brave enough to ask.

   More slow breathing was the only feedback we received until she murmured, "The Yunies. I see them... everywhere."

   And there could only be one reason why.