59. Kage

Chapter 59

Kage

W e had one shot at this and if we fucked it up, we were all dead.

We crept through the narrow hallway that Ty said led to the room where Bianca and the other students were being restrained. It was guarded, but the men outside were sloppy, too confident in their control of the situation. Ty and I shared a look, a silent agreement, before launching into action. It was quick, efficient, and silent—the guards didn't even have time to realize their mistake before they were down.

Bursting into the room, the sight that greeted us was gut-wrenching. Bianca, Camille’s math tutor Drew, and a few others were tied up, their expressions ranging from fear to relief at our arrival.

Not only that, but in the corner of the room was none other than the conciliantis , clearly more bruised and battered than the other students. She looked like she’d been knocked unconscious.

"Holy shit, Kage, Ty," Bianca gasped, her face bruised and her voice weak. "I knew you'd come."

Working quickly, we untied her then the others. "Some of us are in bad shape, including Madam Sandrine.”

Bianca stood and I noticed she moved with a limp and wanted to strangle whoever had hurt her. "We'll have to support them. Carry them if we need to."

The escape was a blur of adrenaline and whispered, frantic instructions. We moved as one, a unit bonded by the shared goal of survival. Every creak in the floor, every distant sound made us tense, ready to fight or flee.

When I got to the conciliantis I felt my stomach turn. She was beaten, bad. She must have put up one hell of a fight for them to take it this far, but despite the cuts and bruises all over her, she was breathing.

I began untying the rope just as her eyes fluttered open.

“Mr. O'Hare,” she whispered harshly. “There isn’t time to help us. You need to leave. You’re their ultimate prize.”

“Then they’re gonna be fucking disappointed and regret ever going after me.” I turned to Bianca. “Help her.”

As we reached the last captive, a young guy I recognized from campus but never spoke to, his eyes met mine, filled with a mix of fear and gratitude.

"Thank you," he whispered, as I cut through his restraints.

"No thanks needed. Let's just make sure we all get out of here alive," I replied, helping him to his feet. His legs were shaky, but the determination in his eyes told me he'd make it through.

The room was finally clear, everyone untied and standing, albeit some just barely. I looked over the group, a makeshift band of survivors, each with their own story of fear and resilience.

"Everyone sticks close," Ty instructed, his voice low but firm. "We're getting out of here together."

Ty's command cut through the thick, tense air as we prepared ourselves for the escape. Just as we made our first tentative steps towards the exit, the door burst open, and a wave of our captors charged in.

The fight was a chaotic blur of movement and sound. Ty and I took the lead.

We moved in tandem, almost as if choreographed. Ty landed a solid punch on the first man through the door, his knuckles connecting with a sickening crack, sending the man stumbling back into his accomplices.

Bianca was a whirlwind of rage and determination. She spotted a pipe on the ground, snatched it up, and wielded it like a seasoned warrior against the man rushing her. She struck, the pipe connecting with his temple with a thud that echoed in the enclosed space. He dropped like a stone, knocked out cold.

Next to her, Drew, Camille’s friend, wasn't just defending himself; he was fighting back with a vengeance.

The room was a blur of motion, shouts, and the crunch of bones and crash of fists into skin.

Bianca's next move was straight out of an action movie. As one of the attackers drew a knife, charging her, she didn't hesitate. In a well-practiced fluid motion, she closed the distance between them, her hand shooting out to redirect the weapon's aim just as he lunged so that the knife cut nothing but air. Then, with a twist and a pull, she disarmed him, the knife now in her hands. Without missing a beat, she embedded the knife in his throat.

In the end, it was a combination of skill, determination, and the element of surprise that gave us the upper hand. After we subdued the last of our attackers, we all paused for a moment, chests heaving, surrounded by the unconscious bodies of our would-be captors. The silence that followed the chaos was almost deafening.

"We need to get out of here," Ty insisted, urgency clear in his tone. "Before any more of them show up, or before the ones we took down decide to wake up."

With a collective effort, we helped the weaker among us to their feet, supporting those who could barely walk. Ty took point, leading the way with the kind of determined stride that left no room for doubt. I couldn’t help but admire him – how far he had come since I had first met him.

As we moved, the pain from my injuries grew sharper with each step, a constant reminder of the cost of our freedom. But as I looked around at the faces of those we'd saved, I knew it was worth it.

But I messed up. I let my guard down for a split second. Just as I saw Ty’s body get thrown across the room, something powerful hit me in the face.

I crashed to the ground. I blinked, looked up, and saw a huge mountain of a man. His massive frame seemed to block the entire outside world behind the door, casting his shadow over all of us.

Fuck.

I got to my feet just as Ty walked up to me, blood trickling from his mouth, his right leg twisted at a slightly awkward angle. “Need my help?” he said.

“As if,” I scoffed. “But I suppose you can help so I don’t have to listen to you bitch and moan about me hogging the action.”

Ty laughed dryly, before coughing up some blood. “Well, looks like you’re getting to know me a little”

“Aren’t you two cute together?” Bianca mused, sauntering up between us. “Cami’s going to have a real handful with you two, isn’t she?”

“You have no idea.” Ty and I said in unison.

The huge man laughed and moved closer. If we were fresh, I wouldn’t bet against our chances. But between my left arm, Bianca’s limp, and Ty’s right leg, things weren’t looking good.

The rest of the students were on their last legs too. But we weren’t giving up. Camille was counting on us.

We took fighting stances. “Come on, fucker,” I said to the man.

“Oh, please, allow me.”

At the sound of the female voice, we turned to see the conciliantis . I had lost track of her during the escape. Despite her apparent injuries, she strode towards us with complete grace. Fuck, I hadn’t realized she was still wearing her heels, but she walked like a model on a catwalk on the hard metal floor.

“Madam, you’re in no shape to fight.”

“Students, stand down. That’s an order.”

Without a word, she walked past us. The guy smirked then launched his right fist toward the conciliantis’s face.

With a single fluid motion, the conciliantis weaved past the punch and deftly jabbed her extended hand in between his ribs like a spear aiming for the heart. He screamed in pain as the conciliantis continued to dig her hand deeper then backed away. When he lunged and reached out for her, she spun, placing her back against his front, caught his arm in both hands, and used his momentum to toss him over her shoulder.

He landed with a heavy thud, the sheer force of the throw causing his body to bounce off the hard metal floor. As soon as he landed, the conciliantis jabbed her spiked heel into the man’s throat. The man’s shriek of pain echoed in the warehouse.

We all watched as the conciliantis bent over and took several deep breaths. Then she straightened, smoothed her hair back, yanked her heel out of the man’s throat without dislodging it from her foot. She stepped away from the blood pooling around the man’s lifeless body.

“Now then students,” she said, her words controlled but breathless. “I believe it's time we got back to school.”