Austin’s POV

We met Brecker and Tristin at the train station at the edge of town. Brecker was there before us, saying that Tristin would be coming up with the rest soon enough. We had ten minutes before the train would arrive, so they had to come soon.

Alan and Aaron kicked around a pebble anxiously as I talked to Brecker. I informed him that we had about ten people or so coming to meet us in Aspen. They would be taking a train that would arrive a little before us.

“So you remember where the house is?” I asked him. He shoved his hands into his pockets silently.

“How could I forget?” He grumbled. Brecks still resented his brother for what he did and how he treated others.

“Um, guys…” Alan trailed off. We turned around. Brecks smiled as I gasped.

Twenty five men and woman of all ages stampeded up the hill in one moving crowd. They carried an assortment of weapons that ranged from kitchen knives to golf clubs. Some held hunks of metal bent into clubs, while I spotted a few wearing a blue jackets and grasping baseball bats or scraps of wood. Pillow cases filled with who-knows-what, screwdrivers with pointed ends, and iron skillets all were in the crowd.

Who knew that the homeless were so good at creating weapons of mass destruction? Certainly not me!

“Woah.” Aaron breathed. Tristin led the group, smiling happily.

“I found a few.” He smiled. The train rumbled up near us and the entire crowd ducked behind the building to avoid detection. It was about time to get on.

“Groups, divide up!” Trist whispered to the silent crowd. Apparently they already had a plan! Everyone huddled in different groups, getting ready to sprint to a box car. As soon as all the workers had gotten off, Brecker gave the signal. He instructed for Alan, Aaron, and I to follow he. We let him lead us to one of the cars as everyone piled in the others.

It was an amazingly vicious swarm.

As soon as the last car door was closed, we shut and locked ours. The inside of our rail car was almost completely filled with boxes but had room enough for us to squeeze in to. Brecker had suddenly appeared next to me with a knife at his side. It was a small pocket knife, but the blade looked menacing.

“Do you guys have weapons?” He asked. I nodded, knowing I had my own pocket knife. Aaron nodded but Alan shook his head. Brecker handed him a golf club.

“Thanks.” Alan muttered and inspected the iron. He grinned. I could almost see the scene he was imagining.

Our train was off.

Through the rest of the afternoon and the night, we silently slept and quietly chatted. I learned a little more about Brecker’s history and why Kynder was so important to the alley runners. She was like Wrecker’s only daughter, even though he had never married or had kids. Wrecker was high up and when he passed, she now had to take the spotlight. People looked up to her and had watched her grow up. Besides, she was one of the best alley runners in the city!

I felt proud of my little Kynder. Now I might lose her for good.

By the time the train had rolled to a stop Saturday morning, I woke up the other three and got out of the car, scurrying to a safer spot. One by one, the passengers unloaded from the vehicles and dashed to our hiding spot. As a group, we swarmed into the town, causing odd looks from nearby traffic.

Who cares? We’re here on a mission.

No one talked in the group, but each person stuck with a buddy as we made our way to the old hotel we agreed to meet at. We walked around back to be greeted by an enormous sight.

Twenty five more people all sat against the building, waiting to meet up. Jack and Alex stood to smile at our own followers.

“How many?” I asked Jack.

“Twenty five. It looks like you have the same. This is way more than I expected.” He mused. Alex was talking to an older women behind him.

“Is everyone armed?” I asked him. He shook his head.

“There are only six that aren’t armed, but apparently their either trained kickboxing champions or black belts.” Jack shrugged and pointed to the group in the left corner. They were throwing kicks and punches at each other, looking fierce and ready for the fight. Adrenaline was kicking in for each of us.

A girl with ragged hair was throwing practice kicks to a middle aged man who easily dodged them. She was grinning like a psycho. Another man with a pale face, large gauges, and haunting eyes watched her. His eyes were locked onto every kick and he looked like had puppy love in his eyes. A few people from each group started to mingle.

“Plan?” Alex asked as he stood beside Jack. I looked to Brecker. He was the one who knew the house and the best plan of attack. We had told him what our goal was, but the old man was to lead us there. He said the house wasn’t so far out.

“Attention!” He called to everyone. They fell silent and looked to him. All eyes were locked on to his every word.

“So we’ll divide up into teams. The house will be heavily guarded with the collectors in all grey that roam the area. Yes, many will have guns or Tasers. If you have something for protection, I suggest you help cover others. Stick with a buddy or two to watch your back.” Brecker stated. In five minutes, we had all gathered into five different groups. Once the man was happy with this progress, he stood up on the back dumpster as we awaited orders.

“Teams one and two will go enter from the front. Team three on the left side, team four on the right, and team five from the back. I want team one to search the bottom level of the house, team three on the mid-level, team five on the upper level. Be careful because as soon as we enter, you need to expect one or two collectors on each level. Remember to use anything as cover and block all exits as soon as you pass through the doors. Keep them in the house, that way they can’t escape. Do anything to protect yourself.

“If you find Kynder, yell, ‘found’ really loudly! Team two will search the outside and team four will secure the drives. If anyone gets out, I need team four to yell, ‘escape’ as loud as possible. Teams two and four will track them down and take care of them. Does everyone understand?” Brecker yelled to us like a drill sergeant.

“YES SIR!” Everyone chorused back. We still had a few moments to arrange ourselves. I talked to Jack as he introduced his group and we broke into our teams.

Alan, Alex, Quinn, Ghost, and I were on team two with three fierce tattooed woman with clubs and knives and two old men with trash can lids and golf clubs. Jack, Chris, Ricky, and Ryan were on team three. Anarchy, Amity, Tricks, Balz, and Hope were stuck with team four. The rest dispersed between groups.

As Brecker gave the signal we were off, heading through the untamed forest in the direction of the mountain where the house was located.

This was war.

Notes

EPIC BATTLE SCENES IN THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS SO KEEP READING!