Excalibur {Complete}

22

Zak pulled the hummer under an overhanging piece of concrete that was attached to a large building. It was a small shelter, serving only to keep the car from view and out of the rain that had begun to pour outside. I was thankful for the rather large vehicle as Jace, Tristan and I were in the back with Ahmeil up front with Zak. I kept an eye out for any signs of Titan, but so far there hadn't been any. I was thankful for that much. Then again, Tristan had begun to keep a tight lid on things, especially when the groups were sent out on reconnaissance.

"Looking good so far," I commented lightly as I turned to look out my window as I had been gazing out the front windshield.

"Let's hope it stays that way," Jace replied with a huff.

I sighed and popped the door handle back, opening the door, and hopping down into the muddy dirt. The rain was pretty heavy, it wasn't a torrent, but it was heavy regardless. My hand dropped down to the silver gun at my side, my fingers tracing along the handle of the weapon as I waited for the others to get out of the car. Moving to the right side of the hummer, I peered out into the distance, the street and the area where the storage room was. It was hazy, thick gray clouds hung low in the sky and the rain didn't make it any easier to see.

"That's the storage room," Tristan's voice came from my left as he pointed over my shoulder to show Ahmeil where.

"Looks clear for the moment," she said softly, crossing her arms, "Let's hope that case is still there."

"We won't find out if we stay here," as I said that, I took a step out into the rain and glanced back. Giving a nod at them, I grinned at them and watched as Tristan gave me a very sultry look. Biting my lower lip, I fought to keep from blushing as I wondered why he was looking at me like that. Maybe it's the rain... making me see things. I shook my head a bit as the water seeped down my forehead and into my eyes. Reaching up, I ran my hands through my soaking hair and started toward the storage room. Behind me I heard the others follow me into the rain.

It wasn't too far of a walk from the hummer to the storage unit. Reaching out I pulled on the handle and was relieved to feel it give way to me as I dragged the handle down and pulled to open the heavy door. It scraped and ground across the concrete and I winced at every little sound that damned door made. It echoed into the empty area, bouncing along the rain drops almost as if the rain had amplified the sound three-fold. As I finished opening the damn door, I peered inside to see that it was just as dark as it had been when Alik had taken us captive. My lips pulled into a frown as I looked around in the dark, my eyes adjusting rather quickly.

"I see it," I called over my shoulder and left to grab the case that was still sitting on the table. I could hear the others gather in the doorway behind me as I rushed over to the case to snatch it up and then be on our way. I didn't like staying there for too long anyway and wanted to be back at the manor as soon as possible. Coming out into Alik's territory gave me the chills every time, no matter what.

My hand wrapped around the handle of the box and I pulled it off the table. There was a sharp click and as I turned to head for the door there was a loud explosion all around me. I let out a sharp cry, reaching up to cover my face. I heard Tristan scream my name and Jace right after. The dust was too hard to see through. Beneath my feet, the concrete cracked and I stumbled, suddenly losing my balance for some strange reason. Then I realized that the floor had just crumbled beneath me and I was falling.

"Tristan!"

***

I coughed hard, my head pounding terribly and feeling like I weighed a thousand pounds. What the hell just happened? I shifted my body, trying to move as I coughed again with the following deep breath that I had taken. The dust clogged my throat, choking me as I tried to breathe. It felt like someone had taken sandpaper and shoved it down my throat. It burned painfully. I winced, trying to get past that sharp, dragging pain and wet my throat enough to get air to my lungs properly. As I moved, I felt rocks and other debris move with me to accommodate. Also, there was a sharp pain in my stomach and I winced again, grinding my teeth.