Page 108 of The Cult

“Shit!” Tobias cursed, pulling me and Sterling down. Leaves and fresh bark from the nearby trees exploded like shrapnel from the fury of their guns. Only when a roar of engines sounded did their onslaught halt. A convoy of rugged vehicles busted through the metal gates, plowing past the guards. Men in black emerged from the vehicles, taking the rest of the guards down one by one with laser precision. Was The Creed under attack? First from the air and now on the ground?

“Archer!” Tobias hollered.

“You know them?” My eyes widened in shock.

“Yes, they’re here for us. They’re my friends I told you about.” Tobias jogged to meet his friends. “Let’s go!” He waved Sterling and I out of the woods.

The man named Archer met us halfway, while the rest of his buddies stayed behind, scanning the perimeter like trained soldiers. Four more large vans joined the first four, blocking the entrance of the Restricted Zone. “Where are the others?” he asked.

“Some of the trainees are still inside,” Tobias replied.

Archer studied me; his scarred face made him look very intimidating. “You Abel?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded. “And you?” Archer directed his attention to Sterling.

“This is Sterling. He’s with us,” Tobias introduced. “Where did those come from?” he asked, pointing to the sky.

“They’re ours. Zero’s operating them.”

Tobias’s friends had come prepared. I wondered where they got their resources. “Are you an assassin too?”

Archer raised his brow and chuckled. I guessed they weren’t used to being asked so directly. “We all are.” Archer pointed to the guys behind him. “Now, go get the rest before the cops raid this fucking place. We’ll cover out here.”

More guards from all over the compound funneled through the Restricted Zone, weapons raised and firing. Archer and the rest of the assassins stood behind their vehicles, shooting back. Obstructing the main entrance was a smart move, because they cut everyone’s access to get inside to aid their losing squad.

We raced through the chaos, ducking and weaving past the hail of bullets as we made our way to the barracks. Unsurprisingly, the barracks stood unpatrolled. The guards were too busy fighting the drones and the guild of assassins to keep an eye on five young men.

“Help! Help!” my friends screamed.

“Let us out!” They banged on the door repeatedly.

We galloped through the corridors to reach my friends. The guards had locked our room with a padlock, trapping them inside.

“We’ll get you out of there,” I called.

“Nine!” Seven exclaimed. “Thank goodness you’re here.”

“What’s going on out there?” Two asked.

“The Creed is under attack,” I answered.

“What the fuck? By our guys?”

I leaned on the door and spoke. “No, Tobias’s friends are here to rescue us.”

“Stand back,” Tobias ordered.

There was a scurrying sound, then someone yelled, “Clear!”

Gunfire pierced the air as Tobias shattered the lock into pieces. I wasted no time in pushing the door open.

The guys squinted when the light from the hallway beamed into our dark quarters.

“Go outside and stay together. There are vans waiting for us.” My friends spilled out of the room and I led them outside, the pounding of our boots drowning out all other noise. I glanced at our room one last time, hoping to never set foot in this prison again.

Seven and Two hesitated, glancing back at me and Tobias. “Are we safe with them?” Seven asked. He’d always been the most anxious in our group, but I couldn’t blame him. We’d gone through a lot, and one look at Archer and the assassins’ domineering presence would make even the bravest soul wary.

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