Efferent

Chapter 18

I ran nervously around the room, pacing the floors as I wrung my hands together. "Afferent. Afferent? What is that? Is it a they?" I muttered, rambling on as I kept walking.

"Calm down, Ardyn." Walter said wearily, rubbing his wrinkled brow. "We will see what Afferent means tonight. But for now, we must prepare. We all must prepare. Nightfall is coming upon us soon." I stared out the window at the setting sun. "It would do us good to be ready."

Immediately, Amelia and Blaise fled out of the room, as if in a practiced motion. "What are they doing?" Clark asked, frowning as he stared around him.

"Ah. The emergency procedures, of course." Walter offered as an answer, getting up and pulling out two duffel bags from a creaky, wooden cabinet. He thrust them towards us, and then followed Amelia and Blaise out of the kitchen. "Quick, now hurry. Pack supplies, such as food, flashlights, and batteries in case we have to leave or at least hide for the time being."

"Anything that we think is useful?" Clark questioned.

"Yes, quickly. Go!" Walter muttered, pushing us off towards the rest of the cabinets.

I raided the cabinets and drawers, stuffing in various supplies. I stuffed in the usual and hid in a few snacks and perhaps unneeded things. Clark rushed into my room, frowning again. "Ardyn. I do not have much space..."

He handed me some of his clothing, and I nodded. "I think my bag is full, too. Let's go." As an afterthought, I quickly grabbed a small book and put it into a side pocket.

"Ardyn! There you are." Amelia said with a relieved tone. "You too, Clark. We are all almost ready. Walter thinks that it might be better we escape if they come close to here." She slung a backpack onto her shoulders and faced us. "I just have to find Blaise."

At the mention of his name, I made a sour face and Clark wrinkled his nose. "Children?" Walter yelled. "Here." He shoved a backpack at me. "I have to get... something." Walter mumbled and pushed a bookshelf aside, then emerged with a wooden trunk.

"Alright." Blaise announced, walking up to us. "I have the building on lockdown. Once we leave, it will go into effect."

"What effect?" I asked, panicked, but they ignored me.

"Good." Walter nodded. "Let's go!" He headed towards the front door and we followed. A rhythmic pounding of feet echoed from about the clearing and I frowned. Clark pulled the blinds open and I gasped at the sight.

Teenagers of all ages were marching towards us, and I certainly did not miss Katherine's smirking face as she walked alongside them in the middle. I clenched my fists and then looked further towards the end, then frowned.

Travis. He was at the very front, his hand holding a torch as he led the march. "What is he doing with them?" Blaise snarled.

"Enough. We have to go, now!" Walter cut in, already running down the staircase. We followed, and found Walter struggling to open the door.

"Move aside." Blaise said, rolling up his sleeves and approaching the door confidently. He pulled on the latch and then frowned, pulling harder. I could see him straining. "It's no use. Something is blocking it." He huffed.

Clark turned towards me. "Look!" Our gazes are traveled towards an open window. The people were swarming around our house, making motions with their hands all while staring at the sanctuary.

"Dr. Ross? What are they doing?" Amelia fretted as she looked at the people.

He sighed. "I suppose these are the Afferent that Travis have warned us about." Walter looked outside. "Children... quite too young." He shook his head. Then the window broke open, the glass shards raining in towards us.

I hissed as one embedded itself in me. The large stone that broke it flew in towards us and crashed into the painting hung onto the wall. My eyes widened, it was just a few inches away from hitting my nose. "They're bringing down the house." I muttered.

"That is right. I suppose so." Walter said as rock after rock followed. Soon there was a gaping hole in the wall.

"Duck!" I hissed, grabbing onto Blaise's collar and forcefully yanking him downwards. His face planted onto the wooden floor and he grunted. Thankfully, the rock that was aimed for him flew into the wall instead.

"What was that for?" Blaise glared at me, dusting himself off.

I pointed at the rock. "It was going to crash into your face. I just-"

"I do not need your help. I had it all managed." Blaise interjected and then crossed his arms. Just as he did that, another rock crashed into the wall and the room began to shake. A smell of burning, black, smoke wafted in and the door began to catch fire.

We ran across the room to the kitchen, Walter mumbling something. The fire spread quickly along the floorboards and soon the living room collapsed. "Hurry, children. We must leave!" Walter shouted, leading us down the hallway. "There is a backdoor!"

Amelia shook her head. "It's locked too. I can not open it."

Walter sighed. "Alright then, the hidden door!" He pushed aside a rug and pulled the trapdoor it revealed. "It leads down to the basement, and we can escape from there." Clark whistled appreciatively and grinned as he walked down.

I sneezed loudly as we followed Walter out the smaller door. "Quick, out here." I inhaled the fresh air and sighed.

"Over there!" Katherine screeched loudly and I winced.

"Ardyn, come on!" Clark yelled, pulling me roughly towards the woods. "Walter told us to try not to use our powers unless we absolutely needed to. Flight, not fight. Not now."

I stumbled around the forest floor, my foot catching in everything and anything. Clark rolled his eyes as he overtook me. "Faster. Mind where you step. And your footing is terrible!" He winced as I snapped a twig loudly.

"Can you not go any faster?" Blaise asked irritably as he yanked my arm up. "You are just slowing us down." He huffed, and sure enough, I could see light from the torches of the Afferent streaming in through the trees. I eventually gained my footing and we weaved our way around the trees.

We carried momentum as we stuck to the shadows, silently avoiding any conflict. We would not have had the strength for a continuos fight. Even as we trekked, I felt my energy being drained, and I stumbled over a root, falling to my knees.

Clark turned to help me up, grasping my elbow, but his expression froze onto his face as he glanced up. Slowly, Blaise and Amelia turned to face us, and the apprehension on their faces made my skin crawl.

My breathing came in sharp pants, gasping for air as though I was being choked be the thick silence. And like a wave that had finally crashed to the ground, it was broken upon impact, as a voice raised the hair on the back of my neck.

"Going somewhere?"