My Name Is Tristan Read online

  A windowless room, with a dirt floor is what I’m met with. There’s no one in there so I look around and, through the smoke, I see a door to my right. I quickly run towards it and as soon as I enter it, I notice the walls of the room are all engulfed in flames, with flames shooting up into the ceiling, making the ceiling catch on fire. I find Skinner in the corner of the room with a kid in each arm. He turns and looks at me with a look I had never seen on him before; fear. Maybe it was the adrenaline that caused this emotion to come across his face or maybe it was the thought of not being able to get the other remaining four kids out in time; whatever it was, it was a look I hope I never see come across his face again.

  “Grab two and get them out of here!” He yells at me.

  I come up to the kids and grab the first two I see. Scooping up one in each arm, I quickly turn and run towards the door. I’m able to make it out of the house just as Skinner comes back in. A woman stands ten yards outside the door crying and holding the children that Skinner just brought out so I figure that this is a better place than ever to set my two kids down and go back in for the remaining ones. I run into the house, empty handed, take a right, and enter the room with the burning walls and where the remaining kids stand in the corner. I notice that the flames are starting to burn almost a bright white color and the heat was becoming unbearably intense. This isn’t a good sign. I find Skinner in the corner with a kid in one arm and scooping up another kid in his open arm.

  A crack and then a loud boom shakes the ground. I look behind me and see part of the ceiling has fallen in the doorway, our only way out. Skinner stands up straight and looks at me again with that same look of fear he had earlier. The flames from the walls become so intense that they’re jumping off the walls and are landing amongst us in the room. Skinner looks around for options. And then I see it, that glimmer in his eye; he has a plan. He runs over to me and sets his two kids down next to me.

  “Hold onto them tightly!” He yells over the sounds of the house falling down all around us.

  I wrap my arms around the kids and watch Skinner as he extends his hands towards the ceiling. I duck my head into my chest as I know what he’s preparing to do. Suddenly, a pulse of energy sweeps across the room, nearly knocking me and the kids off our feet. I look up and see that the flames are much smaller now but the walls are bowed out and the ceiling has large cracks in it. I quickly motion the kids to run out of the room before it collapses. We get the last kid out when everything goes black.

  ~*~

  The moon shone brightly that night as there were no clouds to conceal its splendor. The trees groaned in a slight breeze. David and I sat there, waiting for our target to arrive, not making a sound. Finally, the silence killed us.

  “You think this is going to be easy?” David asked.

  “Piece of cake," I lie.

  “That’s good.”

  A few moments of silence passed by. I looked up at the moon and took note of how extra pretty it looked tonight.

  “Do you ever miss home?” David asked breaking the awkward tension.

  “Home?” I begin. “Like, home, home?”

  “Yeah, like home, home.”

  I sigh and have to think about it. “No, no I don’t. Because this is my home now; this is where my family is.”

  “Yeah, but, what about that saying?”

  “What saying?” I cockily inquire.

  “You know, the one about two stars falling and them hiding their prince till he was ready to bring his people peace?”

  “It’s just a saying,” I quickly retort.

  Even though I wasn’t looking at him I could feel his eyes staring at me like daggers.

  “Destiny isn’t something you can avoid. It doesn’t matter what path you’re on, you’re going to end up in the same destination.”

  Not another destiny speech. I roll my eyes and brush it off. I’ve gotten those speeches practically since the day I was born, about taking up my role and becoming who I’m supposed to become. Honestly, I didn’t want to become that person. Eventually, I’d just want a normal life with a normal family; leave all this behind. But destiny, like David said, has a way of finding you no matter what path you take.

  A beam of light flashed across the building we were watching. I hunkered down closer to the earth to conceal myself even more. I pushed aside a few branches from the bush we’re hiding behind to get a better look. A tan jeep pulled up to the building and four men slowly got out. We quickly searched for Jonathon Hein and found him behind one really tall buff guy with an automatic weapon. They walked from the jeep into the building and out of sight.

  “There are only four of them,” David said. “And besides the tall guy, they’re all unarmed.”

  David began to sit up.

  “David, wait!” I said, pulling him back down to the ground. “We don’t know how many are inside.”

  “Come on, Tristan! We can take them!”

  A twig snapped behind us. We quickly turn around and the last thing I saw was the butt of a gun coming straight for my head.

  ~*~

  I take a deep breath in, it hurts, burns. I try to move but I can’t, something is keeping me from being mobile. My eyes slowly open and it’s almost pitch black except for a slight orange glow coming from above me. I struggle to breath for two reasons: the weight of whatever is on top of me is pressing down right on my lungs and I was slowly losing oxygen. The fire burning above me was sucking up all the oxygen, suffocating me in a black cocoon of ruble. Deep breaths, that’s all I have to do, is take deep breaths. But with each breath I take, I feel a deep burn in my side, causing me to cough and cough until eventually the taste of blood fills my mouth. I spit it out just to cough up some more. Time, my time, was running out and all that ran through my mind was those kids. Did we get them out in time? Are they also trapped beneath a pile of burning ruble?

  That’s when I feel it; a hand slowly finding my shoulder and grabbing a hold of my shirt. This hand is firm and strong and does not let go. I know it’s Skinner, just know it. No words are said or shouted to each other, probably due to the lack of oxygen, but that’s ok; none is needed. Just knowing that he is there comforts me enough to give me hope; to survive this.

  I close my eyes and struggle to open them again as it feels like tiny lead weights are hanging from my eyelids. Soon darkness creeps in around the edges and I realize I’m beginning to black out. Help better arrive quickly before it’s too late. Skinner’s hand begins to tug at my shoulder and soon it breaks free and I’m left alone again. I soon hear voices above me, calling out my name. The blackness consumes me, making me blind to everything surrounding me except the voices. Even as the seconds pass by like hours, each struggling breath I take get’s me closer to freedom; closer to life. I’ve never felt more alone in my life.

  I feel relief from the pressure on my chest and shoulders and soon I can breathe easier. I try to wiggle around a bit and am able to do so but only slightly. I can hear them getting closer to me, shouting my name, getting louder and louder. My eyes acted as if they were glued shut, unable to open them. They had to be close, if only I could just open them and take a quick look to see where they were. I struggle and push through the pain. A crack is all I’m able to open them but that’s enough. I see figures a few feet above me, rushing to get the ruble off me. I recognize one of them as Fletcher. A wet sensation trickles down my forehead and soon gets into my eyes. I find the strength to bring a hand up and wipe eyes. I pull my hand away and its covered in blood.

  Soon I feel a rush of cold air envelope my body, bringing me relief and fresh air. My eyes are able to slowly open and I see Fletcher and Cooly bending down over me, grabbing me by my shoulders and pulling me out of the rubble. I try to stand but my legs don’t seem function. I look up and notice the stars in the crisp night sky. A sense of peace rushes over me, all the chaos washing away.

  A strong wind kisses my skin, cooling me down, and a strong hum fills my ears. As I’m being dragged, the wi
nd gets stronger and stronger and the hum gets louder. I look in the direction I’m being drug and I see Amille standing next to a helicopter, waving at us to hurry up. I’m quickly picked up and set on the helicopter floor, Fletcher, Cooly and Amille jumping in after me. I struggle to move as my body aches with exhaustion. A pounding headache sets in as blood begins to pool where my head is lying. I turn my head over to try and get a better grasp of how injured my head is when I see Skinner staring back at me, blood rushing from a gash in his forehead. He slowly finds my hand and holds onto it, not letting go.

  The helicopter takes off and as we’re ascending I look back down on the village, still burning. I don’t have a doubt in my mind that this was the doing of a Rave. The people there suffered a terrible wrath because they helped us and we’re fleeing. I can’t help but feel terrible for them, for us for doing this to them. Fletcher stands up and shuts the door, blocking my view of the chaos. Maybe that’s best. Fletcher comes over to me and wraps a tattered shirt around my head, trying to stop the bleeding. He lifted my head with his hands and slowly wrapped the shirt around the back. When he was done, he brought his hands out and they were stained red. He quickly wiped his hands on his pants.

  “You did good, kid,” he said before turning to Skinner and assisting him.

  “Did we get them out?” Skinner asks me.

  I try to find an answer but nothing comes. I never do answer him. Instead we lie there not saying a word. Nothing needs to be said. As we fly away to safety I can’t help but feel like we narrowly escaped death again. Then I’m reminded of my dream. Did I bring this upon the village? Am I the one responsible like in my dream? Those questions will haunt for the rest of my life.

  ~Chapter Three~

  I fall asleep in the helicopter and when I wake we’ve landed. I sit up to find that some of my strength has returned. The door opens up and Fletcher and Amille quickly jump out and secure the area. It’s still night, probably early in the morning, when I force myself to stand. I can tell Skinner is also struggling to stand, grunting and straining. I look around and notice that we’re at an airport of some sorts.

  “Come on, it’s safe,” Amille said, lowering his weapon.

  “You need help?” Fletcher asks, extending a hand.

  I shake my head and take a step forward. My knee goes out and I tumble out of the helicopter, Fletcher quickly catching my fall. I try to recuperate by standing up tall only to have my knees go out again. Luckily, Fletcher was still holding onto me, preventing me from falling straight on my face.

  “How ‘bout I help you out,” Fletcher says, putting one of my arms around his shoulder.

  Together we walk towards an airplane hangar that’s just off to our right. I look back and see Cooly helping Skinner walk, struggling but walking. The air is crisp and fills my lungs with a freshness that they’ve been lacking. We enter through a narrow door and inside is filled with people working at cubicles. From wall to wall, people are running around, making copies, running files, and talking on the phone. There’s a dull roar that drowns out every fleeting thought in my head.

  “You must be Tristan,” a young red headed man says walking up to us. “We’ve been expecting you.”

  Two men pushing a gurney approach us and Fletcher slowly lifts me up and sets me on it. I look at Fletcher with a worried look.

  “Don’t worry,” he begins, “I won’t leave you.”

  “Where’s the other one? I was told there were two AOR’s.”

  “AOR’s?” I ask.

  “Agents On the Run,” the man quickly retorted. “By the way my name is Patrick Smithenson but most people call me Patty.”

  Fletcher extends his hand, “Fletcher, just Fletcher. And the other one is coming, he needed extra assistance.”

  “Very well.”

  I look back and see Skinner and Cooly coming through the door. Amille enters behind them and immediately approaches the young man known as Patty.

  “Patty!” Amille says embracing Patty in a manly hug,

  “Amille, it’s been awhile.”

  Another gurney is brought up for Skinner and together we’re wheeled down a row of cubicles, Fletcher right behind us. People begin to stand up and nod as we roll by.

  “What is this place?” Skinner asks.

  “This is all for you,” Fletcher explains. “This center’s sole purpose is to assist AOR’s.”

  “Assist?” I ask.

  “They can tell us where in the world is safest at that moment and that’s where we head off to. They can also track Raves and inform us of any that are approaching.”

  A woman rushing with a stack of papers runs into Skinner’s gurney, knocking both of them to the ground. Skinner catches himself, bracing his body with two squared hands on the ground and gets a panicked look on his face then looks straight at me.

  “They’re here!”

  Suddenly, the far wall blows in, pieces of the wall falling all around us. I cover my head and get down as I try to see what caused this sudden explosion. A man stands in the center of the hole holding a grenade launcher, his mist enveloping his body, obviously a Rave. I quickly scammer to my feet and look to my right, only to find Skinner standing there, ready for battle. Soon three more Raves join the lone soldier and stand by his side, their weapons drawn. The four of them begin taking slow, long steps and spread out throughout the room. They still haven’t seen us. Neither of us wants a battle. Neither of us is ready for a battle. We’re still re-cooperating from our last run-in with death.

  Skinner gets down and heads down a row of cubicles; I follow his lead. He finds an empty cubicle and dodges in there, just missing getting caught by one, wandering Rave. Then gunfire erupts, piercing the air like a double edged sword. I look behind me and see Cooly and Fletcher shooting in the direction of one of the Raves. Then the gun fire seizes and I peek my head around the corner only to see a Rave crouched down, slowly approaching. Skinner, residing in a cubicle across the isle from me, makes eye contact with me and slowly nods. We both know what to do.

  We patiently wait until the Rave is right next to us then spring our trap. I spin around, my leg being thrown out from under me and making contact with the Raves, knocking the Rave onto his back. Skinner immediately jumps onto the Rave and pushes his hands over the Rave’s face. I take the gun away from the Rave and point it at his temple. I look at Skinner who returns the gaze and he looks back down at the Rave.

  “Say ‘good night.’” Skinner whisper’s into the struggling Rave’s ear.

  With that, Skinner builds up energy from his core, which travels through his arms and out his hands, making an impact with the Rave’s head. Blood squirts everywhere as the Rave’s head gets crushed under the pressure of Skinner’s energy blast. I bring a hand up to wipe the blood off my face and look at Skinner who has it all over his body. Skinner just sits there, taking long, deep breaths.

  “Hey?” I ask.

  Nothing. He just sits there staring at the corpse. I get up and walk over to him, putting my hands on his shoulders. I try to get him to stand but he won’t budge. Cooly comes running up the isle and leans against a cubicle, gun drawn and at attention.

  “What’s wrong with him?” he asks.

  “Nothing,” I reply, “nothing’s wrong.”

  “OK, then we need to get out of here,” Cooly quickly retorts, “now!”

  I pull one last time on Skinners shoulders and this time he gets up and we follow Cooly back down the isle and around the corner to where Amille, Fletcher and Patty were standing, scanning the room for Raves.

  “We took care of one of them,” I said addressing Amille.

  “We can see that,” he says, addressing the blood on our bodies.

  Then gunfire gets shot in our direction, everyone ducks in cover.

  Amille looks at Skinner and I. “We need to kill the one with the grenade launcher! He seems to be the leader!”

  I nod and look at Skinner who looks to be off in his own little world. Looks like I’ll have to d
o this on my own. I wait for the gunfire to seize before standing up, and scanning the room, looking for the Rave with the grenade launcher. Then I spot him, in the middle of the room, shouting orders to the remaining two Raves. That’s when he spots me. I quickly thrust my hands in his direction as he immediately brings up his weapon. I begin to push as much air as I can towards him when I hear the all too familiar sound of a gun going off.

  I push harder and harder, awaiting the impact of the grenade, but it never comes. Instead, the grenade stays right where it was launched off from and blows up at the feet of the Rave. The remaining two Raves quickly suppress fire towards me and I duck down, barely missing a barrage of bullets.

  “Tristan,” Amille began, “if we lay down covering fire, could you take them out?”

  I nod slowly, unsure if I really could or not.

  “Covering fire!” Amille yells.

  Immediately, Amille, Cooly, Fletcher and Patty stand up and begin firing on the two Raves. I stand up in the middle of them and right away spot one of them off to my right. I extend my hand towards him and he immediately freezes in place and drops his gun. I knew I got him and that his life would soon be coming to an end. I thrust my hand up towards the ceiling and he instantly went flying towards it, making a hard impact before falling lifeless to the ground. Then I spot the other one, laying down fire and running in the opposite direction of us, towards the hole in the wall. I start running towards him. I can’t let him leave.

  The lone Rave heads towards the hole and I seize the opportunity. I thrust myself with all my remaining might into the air then push the air behind me towards the ground, causing me to jump across the room and to my target. I land on his back and he immediately falls to the ground with a loud thud. The Rave begins to laugh as he swings his gun around and tries to fire upon me. With one quick swipe of my hand the gun is out of his reach and flying across the room. I grab ahold of his head and with one swift jerk of my arms his neck snaps, leaving him lifeless.

  “Man down! Man down!”

  I quickly stand up and turn around to see everyone crowd around Cooly, his body bloody and stiff.