Flight 118: A Woman’s Future
Chapter Eighteen

At once, chaos ensued. Many of the room’s occupants ran out, heading towards the front door. Eric was pulling Ana towards a different direction than everyone else but I did not have a chance to see where. Jonah was holding me to him trying to tell me something while I was trying to go see what was happening.

“Emilia!,” he practically roared. My attention snapped back to him and I stared with wide eyes. Not because of him yelling my name but because my mind was racing so fast I could not latch on to any singular thought. At least, I couldn’t until his yell snapped me out of it.

“Stop and listen to me! I know you want to go out there right now. But I can’t figure out what’s happening and help if I’m worried about you.”

I opened my mouth to protest. We did not even know what was happening outside yet. Not definitively. People could be hurt and they needed help!

But he cut me off before I got the chance to say any of that.

“Please Emilia, Mine. I need you and Clarisse to go grab the children from upstairs and then meet Ana down in the basement. There’s a safe room down there that the pack has set up. She’ll help you get there. Please. Do it for me.” His voice was pleading but slightly distant. I could tell he was half paying attention to what was going on outside. But I still felt like I could help. Many of the people from the plane wreck were out there still. They needed to get to safety also. Frustration was building in me at him not understanding that I could not simply get myself to safety when others needed help.

“If you won’t stay inside and be safe for me, do it for the children. They need help and what if something has happened. Clarisse can’t do it on her own.” Just like that, the frustration at the entire situation deflated inside me. At least, in the way that had been building up to me insisting on going with him.

He was right. Ana was, I’m sure, gathering everyone she could. But who was getting the kids? I highly doubt Ana would even be thinking about them. Simply because she was not used to thinking about them, if not for the assumption someone else would get them. They needed to be the top priority.

I internally groaned in irritation. Then I sighed aloud, accepting he was right. At least to the point of making sure the children were safe. “Fine. But be safe! And the second you know it’s safe come and get me! Or I’ll come myself. People may need help!”

He nodded but I could tell he was growing increasingly distracted and relieved I agreed without much reluctance. He kissed me hard on the lips quickly then nodded toward Clarisse.

She was standing in the corner of the room looking frightened. I hadn’t even realized she was still here until he mentioned and motioned to her.

“Now go. Both of you. Get the kids and go to the basement. Ana will know what to do. Be safe, Mine. Or I’ll make you eat dinner with everyone the rest of the time we’re here.”

I rolled my eyes but inwardly chuckled. I knew he would not make me do it if I did not want to. But I was growing increasingly aware that Jonah was the kind of man who would not do anything to hurt me, even if he was joking. So, that was his way of simultaneously trying to let me know he was serious while making me feel better.

I grabbed Clarisse by the hand and practically dragged her towards the stairs. We really did need to hurry. I had no clue what was going on outside but the smell of smoke was getting stronger. The sounds of yelling weren’t as loud, but I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. “Come on! We need to get Liam and the girl! Hurry!”

When this was all over with, I was going to make it my mission to get the girl’s name. I was tired of calling her ‘the girl’. Both in my head and aloud.

Finally seeming to shake out of whatever funk she was in, Clarisse nodded and ran up the stairs behind me. Through the window, I can see someone had lit a few trees on fire. Gosh, that is so dangerous. How are we going to put the fire out? And before it spreads, I thought to myself. It wasn’t like we had fire stations. Or did we? There was still so much to this world I needed to learn.

Shaking my head, I cleared my thoughts. Now was not the time to panic or think about any of that.

Reaching the room we had given the kids to stay in, I opened the door to see no one. “Liam! Where are you guys?! Liam!” Looking over at Clarisse I tried to contain my growing panic, “They’re not here, and not answering!”

Clarisse’s eyes widened in concern. I could tell she was realizing what I did. They did not wander off without anyone. Ever. The girl barely even came out of the room and Liam did not like to leave her. I watched her back up a step and look both ways down the hallway. “You check here more! Look in all the possible hiding spots! I’ll start looking in other rooms. Maybe they’re just scared and hiding!”

I nodded, impressed with how she figured out they may be hiding somewhere when she had just seemed like she was in shock moments ago. “Okay! I’ll look in other rooms after this one. You start at the end of the hallway and work your way toward me so we can go faster!”

I ran back into their assigned room, yelling as I looked under the beds, in the closet, and anywhere else someone could hide. Once I realized no one was in the room I moved to the next. Three rooms down I paused as I heard something like voices. Frowning, I stopped to listen to what seemed like the end of the conversation. It sounded like a girl or a young child’s voice but it was hard to hear clearly.

“Downstairs, the woman Ana. You’ll be safe there. Yes. Quickly, go. We’ll be right behind you.” I heard Clarisse say as I stepped out of the room.

I frowned, not seeing who she was talking to by the time I made it out of the room. “Did you find them? Where are they?”

Clarisse jumped, almost as if I startled her. “It was the girl. She doesn’t know where Liam is. I sent her on to the basement and said we’d keep looking.”

My brow furrowed a little in confusion but I nodded. I did not take the time to process what she said past the fact Liam was missing. I turned, already moving back into search mode. “Okay. Let’s keep looking. We need to hurry.”

“She’s already checked up here, apparently. Said she had been looking for him before she saw me.”

A chill ran through me a little as I stopped from turning. “Really? Then where could he be?”

She shrugged and responded a little evasively. “I don’t know but-”

“Wait-wait a second. She talked to you? She hasn’t talked to anyone.” I could have sworn I had heard voices, more than one. If she did randomly talk, that would explain why I was not sure who I was hearing.

Clarisse glanced to the side and shrugged, “Uh, yeah. I guess maybe she did it because it was a serious situation. I don’t know.”

Confused again, I asked, “She said that much? You weren’t talking that long were you?”

“Yeah, she did. Hey look, we need to get going if we are going to find him. I have an idea of where to look. Come on!” She was gone before I could respond, running down the flight of stairs. “Come on, Em! Hurry up!”

I shook my head but went after her. Things weren’t making sense but it must have been the stress of the situation or something. My mind was running a million miles per hour. At least, that’s what it felt like. Besides, now was not the time to be having conversations instead of trying to find Liam. He was only ten years old and was all alone with all of the chaos going on outside.

“Clarisse! Wait!” I caught up to her when she was leaving the house. “We can’t go out there! We need to be looking for Liam and then going to hide like Jonah said.”

Whipping around so fast her hair flew, Clarisse answered my whispered complaint with her own. “I told you I had an idea where Liam could be. He has only lived up here at the house with you people for barely a week and it’s not like you know what he spent his time doing before that. I do. Now, you can trust me, and let’s go find him together, or I’ll do it on my own.”

My eyes widened and I took a step back in shock. Anger surged through me but I pushed it aside. “Listen, I don’t appreciate your tone or the accusation behind it but that’s not important right now. Let’s hurry up and find Liam and get back. But you and I, we will be having a discussion about this later. I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately.” I shook my head then pushed by her and went outside. “Let’s go. Oh, and try not to be seen. The last thing we need is to be caught by whoever is doing all this.”

I paused against the outside wall because I had just pushed by her in irritation and I was not going to admit she needed to be in the lead.

Clarisse grumbled under her breath as she hurried past me. She led me around a smaller building that I was pretty sure was the outhouse and into the woods. I had seen it in the daytime, but everything on this side of the main house was dark so it was hard to see much. Then again, my eyes had not quite adjusted from stepping out of the lit house.

“Woah, Woah. Wait. What are you doing?” I hissed out in frustration when I realized where she was headed. The forest was basically on fire on the other side of the clearing and we were not supposed to even be outside of the house. There were still yells, and even some snarls, cutting through the chilly night air. We definitely should not be going into the dark woods.

Had she not seen any scary movie before?

“I told you I know where Liam used to play. Come on, it’s only a couple hundred feet past that big tree there. I know what I’m doing. Let’s go.

I rubbed my temple and looked back towards the house, torn. I had a bad feeling about being out here. But then I pictured Liam’s face and huffed out a breath of air in frustration. I could not leave a little boy out here. No matter how weirded out I was feeling.

Sighing I said, “Fine, lead the way. But please hurry. I’m getting a bad feeling about this.”

As we pushed through into the wooded tree line the little light we had from the outside torches and the fires disappeared, almost as if the night had swallowed them. Chill bumps spread down my arms just as a wolf’s howl cut through the air. But I didn’t even have time to contemplate the idea of turning back and insisting we look somewhere else. It was taking all of my concentration to try and keep up with Clarisse’s running form in front of me so I didn’t lose her in the dark. The quicker we got through, the quicker we can get to Liam and get back.

I should have listened to my gut though. That tingle in my mind that had said something was wrong. The chills that had shot over my skin, and not because of the cold. But I didn’t. I listened to Clarisse.

I should have seen it coming.

One minute we were crashing through tree branches we couldn’t see, branches and twigs scratching my skin as I stumbled to keep up. The next minute there were no trees. Clarisse stopped so suddenly I bumped into her and stumbled.

Looking around, I frowned. “Is this it? There’s nothing here. You said Liam was here, Clarisse.” We looked to be in a small natural clearing, but it was barely big enough for a few people to stand in. Nowhere near big enough for Liam to be here without us seeing.

Clarisse turned and looked at me. It was so dark I could barely see her, but we were close enough to each other that I frowned at the strange look that I could have sworn crossed her face.

“No, Liam is not here, Em.”

Frowning more, I brushed my hands up and down my arms, trying to fight off the goosebumps as I took a step back.

“That’s um, that’s okay. It was a good idea. But now we’re here and know he’s not. So, let’s get going. If we hurry, we can maybe find him before we absolutely need to get into safety.” I took another step back.

Then I gasped as she lunged forward and grabbed my arms. Trying to shake her off I yelled, “What are you doing, Clarisse. Let go!”

“No, I’m sorry. Em. Liam was never here. I had to get you here. I’m sorry. But it’s for your own good!”

Pushing her away, I stumbled back. “What do you mean never here? What are you talking about? Why would you waste our time when we’re trying to find Li-.” I gasped as I remembered the whispers I had heard in the house. I had thought it was weird that the girl who refused to speak or leave Liam would suddenly do both. But like a fool, I blinded myself to the facts. “You already found him! You found both of them in the house, didn’t you?! Why would you lie?”

Clarisse shook her head, “I really am sorry. But you can’t see what has been right in front of you. You are brainwashed! I don’t blame you. Truly. After the accident and learning everything we have, and you being kidnapped and auctioned off. Who wouldn’t have a case of that- that syndrome people have. What is it called? Oh! Stockholm Syndrome! Yes, it’s for the best.”

“What are you talking about?! I’m not brainwashed, Clarisse! What is wrong with you?” I shook my head. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I don’t know the purpose of all this, but it’s done. I’m going back.”

I turned around to push back through the trees I came through. I hoped I could get back quickly. Both to get inside and to be away from Clarisse. I did not know what had gotten into her. I had thought maybe she had just needed time to cool down and realize she was wrong when she had yelled before. But I could see I had been wrong.

I had taken a few steps into the tree line, heading back in the direction we had come from when something suddenly fell from above and hit me in the head.

I groaned as I fell to the forest floor. I had not seen anyone before being hit and my head was already starting to pound. Through blurry eyes and a pounding headache, I tried to get up and see my attacker but I collapsed in pain.

Managing to look up, a blurry image of a cloaked figure was all I saw before the world went black.

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