Later on, the bunker is immersed with darkness with the dormant lanterns hanging on the walls. The six former members of the GJHP are sound asleep, either lying on the blanket-spewed ground or on the bunk bed.

Resting on the lower bed of the bunk bed is Kale with a peaceful expression. His breathing is even with his hands clasped on his stomach and his closed eyes still.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Kale’s eyes immediately fly open at the sound of the trapdoor rattling.

"CPD!" a disembodied, gruff voice bellows in a muffled tone from above. "OPEN UP!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Shuffling is heard throughout the room, notifying Kale that the others have awoken.

"Shoot," he hears Matteo whispers in the dark. "They found us."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"OPEN UP!"

The crumbling of the ceiling can be heard as dirt and pebbles lightly rain down due to the harsh pounding.

"No, it’s cooler when they force their way in," Brett murmurs with a light tone.

"Where’s a way to exit?" Jeremy snaps quietly.

"That’s the only way out!" Jake hisses at him with fear.

"Or is it?" Kale hears Kailer questioning.

In a flash of blue energy, which illuminates the room for a moment, Kailer materializes next to Kale, appearing grainy due to the darkness.

Kale knits his eyebrows at him. "What?"

"Distort."

Kale gawks at him. "How?"

"Just do it!" Brett spits out a bit too loud.


Jeremy is heard hushing him: "SHHH!!!"

"Can’t you teleport us?" Kale asks, holding his hands out at the small man.

Kailer shakes his head. "I hadn’t teleported these many people in the longest time." He places his hands firmly on his shoulders. "But I know you can bring us out."

"But-but how?" Kale stares at the dimly lit Kale with trepidation.

Kailer pulls away from him and steps over to the end of the bunk bed. "Bring the opening over here." He points to the open space of the wall, directly across from the entrance of the room. "Make it a reflection."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"We know you’re in there!" the orotund sound of an authority roars.

Kale fiddles with his thumbs as he stares at the menacing wall. "Uhhh…"

"This is your last warning!" the man continues barking. "Open up!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"You can do it," Brett tells Kale meaningfully from behind him. "You got the best powers out there."

Kale peers behind his shoulders at the others with worry. "What about your powers?"

"Just do it," Jeremy orders firmly.

With a sharp breath held in, Kale turns back to face the empty wall. He gradually holds his hands out at it and closes his eyes, focusing on his powers’ surge. His fingers begin to grow tense and his face contorts as he concentrates on the task.

The wall shifts for a moment, like a malfunctioning computer. Then in a snap, a mirrored version of the actual staircase materializes into view.

With a small smile, Kailer turns to Kale. "Go in first."

Kale silently nods his head before rushing through the archway and making the turn up the stairs. He rushes up the stairs before halting at the top, spotting the trap door motionlessly above him.

He presses his hands against the trap door’s surface and pushes against it, popping it up. He heaves against it and flips it over to the ground above, revealing the full hole. He steps up, popping his head up to ground level.

Kale breathes deeply, taking in the cool air of the forest night compared to the thick, musty air that lingered in the bunker. He then spots lights flashing from the corner of his eye.

He turns to the left, spotting numerous cars with whirling lights and people crowded around a certain object a few yards away.

Police, Kale concludes mentally.

With a deep breath, he pulls his fists to his ears, conjuring his supernatural surge to his palms. He then gradually extends them toward the scene, letting his powers flow with a mental command.

In an instant, sharp glints of reflecting light pop from view, creating a large, rectangular box. The scene within the box shifts, creating a one-way mirror with the window on his side. The box ripples, displaying to him its boundaries.

With a nod of reassurance, Kale peers down at the hole he is standing in. "It’s safe!" he calls out quietly. "They won’t see us."

He then goes on his hands and knees and crawls out of the hole, onto the moist grass. He stands up, wiping the spare grass blades from his gown and bare legs.

Kale peers back up, watching the men climb up into view.

Matteo takes a glance around his surroundings, landing his eyes on the dusky crowd of authorities. "They’re not noticing us.” He turns to Kale. “Can’t they see us?"

"No." Kale nods to his left, directing his attention on the reflection. "I put an one-way cloaking wall on their end so they won’t see us here, but we can see them."

Brett steps up to him from closing the trap door. "Can you carry it over to our car?" He holds his hand out toward the black car by the edge of the illusion’s sharp glints.

It can be mistaken as a police car since it is surrounded by authorities.

Jeremy lets out a groan with a roll of his eyes. "Oh great."

"I’ll get it." Kale rubs his hands in a flash before shooting them out at the car.

The car shifts for a split second before disappearing, immediately reappearing shiftily by the road behind Kale.

"Hey!" an authority barks from afar. "Where did the car go?!"

Matteo instantly pushes his lowered arms toward his group, signalling them to move. "Go, go, go!"

The six members rush to the black car and dive in, slamming the doors behind them.

Brett hastily turns the car on and makes a sharp U-turn, peeling away from the scene.

From the back, Jake gazes behind his shoulder through the back window, quickly spotting the heart-dropping sight of flashing lights following them.

He whirls back to face the front, his back plastered against the seat. "They’re following us…!"


"What?!" Brett flicks his eyes to the rear view mirror, spotting the familiar lights. "Are you kidding me?!" He reverts his eyes to the desolated road. "Kale, what happened to your illusion?"

"I didn’t extend it this far!" Kale cries out.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

The harsh sound of the bullets piercing into the exterior of the car is heard along with the pitchy ricochet of the bullets.

"Darn it, they’re shooting at us!" Brett digs his foot into the gas pedal, accelerating the speed.

POP!

The car instantly lurches, throwing the passengers against their seats. The flattening sound of a deflated tire rolling itself against the asphalt is clear.

"Flat!" Brett spits out. He attempts to maintain speed as the car tilts backward; yet the rate of the car dwindles.

Kailer leans forward from the other side of the back row to gaze at Kale. "Clague, fix it!"

"Uhmmm…" Kale takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes to calm his mind. He brings his focus to the punctured tire, ignoring the jerking of the car.

Suddenly, the car levels itself out as the clunking sound vanishes.

"Sweet!" Brett slams his foot against the gas pedal.

In an instant, the car zooms down the dark road.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM—CRASH!

The back window blasts into millions of shards, raining down on the back passengers.

"AAAHHH!!!" Jake screams, covering his head with his arms.


Jeremy throws himself away from the middle of the window. "OH MY—!"

"Clague, do something!" Kailer barks, pressing himself against the corner of the car.

Automatically, Kale twists his body around and pulls his knees to the seat, getting a good view of the authorities’ luminous cars through the jagged gap. He then stays still, his eyes wide with anxiety while rattling his mind as to how to get rid of the pursuers. Then his eyes light up at an idea.

He holds his hands out toward them, feeling the cool, tight breeze flying between them along with the contrasting warm surge gliding through them. He then snappily pulls his hands into fists, pressing them against his shoulder.

Immediately, a force overtakes the car, stretching it backward tautly as the scenery around them tightens vertically. The force quickly disappears, causing the scenery to swiftly settle in and relax the car.

It is suddenly now pitch dark in the back. The flashing lights are quickly approaching in front them.

Brett’s eyes fly open at authorities’ flashing cars now ahead. "WHOA!!!"

The car instantly flies through them, blasting them into thousands of leaves.

Brett gawks at the scenery as the leaves majestically flutter around the front window with no wreckage in sight.

He lets out a chortle. "EPIC!" He continues pressing down the road at the same speed.

CHU CHU CHU CHU CHU…!

A large spotlight from above shines down on the car, causing the passengers to shield their eyes and peer upward as a strong wind whips around them.

Looming down on them is a helicopter, following them in the night sky.

"Uh oh, level two, Kale!" Jeremy shouts over the howling wind of the helicopter.

Narrowing his eyes to protect himself from the flying debris, Kale pokes his head out the window, craning his head to the helicopter. He mentally focuses his power on the flying aircraft.

Instantly, the vehicle begins floating upward as if it is filled with helium. The light and the winds diminish gradually, bringing much-needed serenity into the car.

With a relieved sigh, Kale pulls himself back into the air and settles against the backrest of the seat.

Brett continues speeding down the empty, narrow road as the others sit in silence.

"Where’re we going now?" Kale asks tiredly, running his hand through his matted hair.

"My brother has a place nearby here," Brett replies, not taking his eyes off from the road. "He’ll take us in for the night." He is referring to his older and only brother, Quinton Howden.

Kale nods his head. "Okay…"

Silence settles in once again. Then another question pops into his mind.

"But...you guys have powers…" He warily peers at each of them in the fleeting light. "Why didn’t you use them?"

"We wanted to see if you can use yours," Kailer replies from the other side. "We’re trying not to use ours as best as possible since we’re already on their radar."

He knits his eyebrows at his direction. "And I’m not on their radar?"

"Well, you are, but not as a threat. They still think you’re in a comatose. Unless the institute's guards already reported your escape to them. But they don’t know your new powers. They still know your old powers, which aren’t as big as a threat."

Kale slowly nods his head as he turns away from him. "Ohhh...okay…"

---

Minutes later, the car rolls up to a massive glade. With the aid of the car's headlights, it is noticeable that the glade is covered with brown, dying grass. In the middle is a rundown, two-story, lilac-coloured mansion with white borders, a small porch, and blacken rectangular windows.

Brett parks the car to the left of the porch and turns it off. He then peers behind him, looking out at the shattered back window. "Anyone else following us?"

"Coast appears clear," Kailer informs him.

Matteo unlocks his seatbelt. "Let’s get off."

The six members climb out from the car. Brett leads the way up the rotting stairs to the porch. He halts in front of the wooden, chipped white-painted door and gives it a good knock.

Footsteps echo from the other side, increasing in volume as they approach the door. Clicking and clanking of multiple locks begin undone is heard before the door finally shifts and swings opening.

On the other side is a wide-eyed man with dark circles under his eyes, short, disheveled, light brown hair and stubble around the lower half of his face. He is in a T-shirt and boxers; in his hands is a machine gun, ready to be used.

The man’s eyes immediately fly open with surprise. "Brett!" He lowers the gun down to one hand. "What are you doing—?"


"Quinton!" With a massive grin, Brett pulls his older brother into a tight brotherly love hug.

Brett then pulls away from him with his hands on his shoulders. "I brought the boys along—" He nods behind him toward them. "Is it okay if we stay for the night?" He drops his hands back to his sides. "Our other place got busted."

Quinton has pursed lips with a hesitant expression on the other men and teenager. "Alright. Just for one night. I don’t wanna get busted too." He then turns around and lumbers into the house.

Brett leads the others into the house, entering the massive living room.

Although the size is roomy, the place is deteriorating. The floors are uneven, the furniture is tattered, the staircase to the left leading to the second floor to the left is leaning with rotting wood. The air has a musty, stale tinge to it.

Quinton continues trudging through the living room. "The bedrooms are up there—" He aimlessly waves toward the second floor. "I got plenty of rooms, so take anyone except for the one in the way front. That’s mine."

He then disappears through the arch where a flood of fluorescent light, contrasted to the warm light of the rest of the mansion, is pouring out from.

"Alright, thanks, bro," Brett calls out to the empty living room. He then turns back to his group and nods toward the staircase. "Up here, guys."

He leads them up the stairs and into the hallway, which has the same dilapidating touch to it with the scraped walls and flattened rugs.

One by one, each man takes a room from any of the doors displayed against the wall, disappearing behind them.

"Alright, good night, boys," Matteo calls out as he enters into a bedroom.

Kale continues sauntering down the hallway. "Good night," he whispers quietly before he hears the door closing behind him.

He then halts in the middle of the hallway, realizing that he is all alone. He peers behind his shoulder, spotting the empty hallway staring back at him.

Fatigue begins settling in, reminding him he had a long night with exhausting amounts of power used.

With a sigh, Kale turns back around and steps up to the last door situated on the left side of the hallway.

He pulls the white, beaten door open, strolls into the dark room, and closes the door behind him with a click!

Notes