The Strays
Epilogue

I was completely consumed by silence and darkness, I had no idea what had happened to Linc, or Reach, or any of the other’s for that matter. I was almost certain they were alive, I hadn’t heard anything to the contrary, and I knew my brother, he wouldn’t go down without a fight, if something had happened to him I’d know. Deep inside a part of me knew he wasn’t really the one I was worried about. It was her, Caelyn, the stubborn, spontaneous hothead that would sacrifice life and limb if she knew I was alive, that the Strays were alive.

My body relaxed, slightly, as I rested my head on what I believed was a pipe behind me as a brief smile crossed my mind, though it didn’t last as the door to the room I was being held in, swang open and I was immediately blinded by the bright, white, fluorescent light outside.

“Mornin’ sunshine, time to wake up.” My captor smirked as she kicked my leg, then crouched down beside me and tapped my cheek.

“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. Either let me go or fuck off.”

“Now, Tyler, is that really any way to talk to the only friend you’ve got in this shithole?”

“The only friends I have in this shithole are probably tied up and being held prisoner, just like me, so don’t flatter yourself, sweetie.”

“Somebody woke up in a grump today.” She teased as I scowled at her.

“You’ve held me prisoner in the dark for who knows how long, sorry if I’m not all unicorns, rainbows and smiles. Just hurry up and get to whatever point you’re clearly trying to make.”

“You’re no fun anymore.”

“Perhaps I’m just tired of the games, so ask your questions, make your threats and leave. I’d like to get back to my quiet reflection.”

“So defensive. Tell me, what is about Caelyn Lewis that makes her so special? You and your friends have been here for months, but none of you will break, no matter what I promise, the threats I make, nobody will betray her. Why is that?”

I glared at her and furrowed my brow, realising this was a personal question, it wasn’t something she’d been told to ask because it was the first time she’d brought it up, this was something she was curious about. “Why the sudden interest in my loyalties? Normally you have a hundred questions to help build a profile of Cae, I’m usually just a source you try to pump for information about her, why the sudden personal interest?”

My captors lips tucked upwards into a slight smile, as if she knew something I didn’t, something she was dying to gloat about.

That’s when the realisation dawned on me. “You’re not the type to just give up. Caelyn knows we’re alive and you want to know if she’ll come for us. After all, if we were willing to go to such great lengths to protect her, you want to know how far she’ll go to protect us, if she’s as loyal to us as we are to her.”

“You really are as smart as your profile says you are. It’s very understated, but I can see it. That ability to read between the lines, to deduce people’s intentions via their choice of words and body language is quite impressive. I thought it was going to be much easier to convince you to open up about your feelings towards Caelyn, but I underestimated your scepticism. Perhaps I’ll have better luck with your brother.”

I shook my head. “There’s no need. Caelyn is family, there isn’t anything she wouldn’t do to protect the people she cares about and you made the enormous mistake of crossing her by going after those she loves, so you best be prepared for the hellfire you’re unleashing upon yourself, because she is relentless. I’m sure you already know that though. You can ask all the questions you’d like, phrase them however you please, the truth is there’s no hidden secret, there’s nothing you can learn from us about Caelyn, that you can’t pick up just by observing her.” I grinned. “That’s the scariest thing about her, she is the most emotionally repressed person I’ve ever met, but her actions, the way she treats people, speaks volumes to her candid nature. When she sets her sights on something she will stubbornly preserve no matter the cost, no matter how reckless her actions may seem, there is a blatant method to her madness. It’s a mixture of methodical, lacklustre, planning and a chaotic ability to improvise. If you think you can build a profile to predict what she’s going to do next, you’re dead wrong because, even she doesn’t know entirely, at least not until it happens. Caelyn Lewis is the type of person who thrives under pressure, who works best against the clock, and while I’m sure you think you’ve observed her enough to predict what she’ll do, even though you think having us as bait gives you leverage, you’re dead wrong. All you’ve done is given her another incentive and another reason to want you dead. You made a big mistake by keeping us alive, and you’re about to pay for it. This is a girl who stopped another cataclysmic event from consuming the world and she’s going to eat you for breakfast.”

My captors got to her feet, her smug smirk completely eradicated, replaced by a hidden nervousness. I could see she was afraid and rightly so. “There’s a storm coming.” I called after her as she reached the door. “And no matter how prepared you think you are, there is nothing that can keep you safe, no place in the world where she won’t find you. Make the most of what little time you have left.”

The door slammed shut and I was consumed by the silent abyss once again, only this time I couldn’t help but smile. A part of me was terrified for Caelyn, but another part was filled with longing and hope. I’d seen first hand what this girl and our remaining friends could do, there was nobody in the world I trusted more with my fate than her. If anyone could defy the laws of probability and defeat the odds to pull off this near-impossible rescue, it was her.

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