Adam's frustrated sarcasm was a bit of a shock to Troy. He was aware that he was asking a lot of Number Three but he had hoped he'd help. So when Adam took off by himself leaving the two of them alone Troy was as flabbergasted as he was infuriated, but he couldn't let his emotions get the better of him, they couldn't stay put - they had to move.
"Come here" he'd say to a dejected Star, before
picking her up."You can't teleport in your condition, but I can levitate us throughout the tree tops, it'll take a while but it's better than nothing. We just have to hope Lizzie is waiting for us when we get there."Tightening his grip on Number Two Troy would begin to levitate several inches from the branch they were standing on top of. Moving his body through the air luckily took more mental than physical strength, but if he was honest with himself he knew he was running low on both, but he had little choice at this point.
Once in the air he'd make it three or four trees away from their original spot before a swoosh of wind behind him caused him to turn around, where he'd see Adam appear again.
The tears on his face were visible but Troy was still pissed, however before he could say anything to him Adam spoke up.
"Grab hold of me and hold tight, now. As if your life depended on it, which it does."It was an offer Troy wanted to refuse even though hitching a ride with Adam would be much easier than "flying" himself, an he would of refused the offer flat if it wasn't for the others. The quicker they could meet up with Lizzie and get to safety, the quicker they could relax and recharge.
"Go" was all he'd say once he had a firm grip on Starr's waist an Adam's arm.
The distance they were traveling was only several miles away so he only had to hold on for seconds, not minutes - making the trip a success. However when they landed on the roof Adam hit the floor an again began to cry, as if he had failed.
Troy had no idea what had happened in the few minutes Adam left but it was enough to make a nineteen year old cry hysterically, which caused his momentary anger towards him to pretty much dissipate - replaced by frustrated sympathy.
"She's here..." he'd say in a whisper as he let go of Star an approached the edge of the roof.
"Number Four, she somewhere here...but I don't see my truck."After less than a minute of scanning the parking lot Troy would notice a lone SWAT van parked in front of the building. The longer he stared at the vehicle the more intense the pinging in the back of his head got but he had to be cautious, It was a SWAT vehicle, meaning Lizzie could be trapped - and they weren't exactly in the condition to fight.
"Dammit" he'd mutter over an over again to himself as he walked slowly to the other end of the roof, attempting to get a better look inside the van.
A feeling of relief would wash over his entire being when he was able to catch a glimpse inside the vehicles window, and spotted Number Four in the drivers seat - alone.
With a pick in his step Troy would jog back towards the others and relay the good news. Now all he needed to do was distract the crowds in front of the building long enough so that he could levitate them down to the vehicle.
Spotting a medium sized rooftop air conditioner Troy would take a deep breath and hold out his arm to help direct his telekinetic ability.
"Come on, steady...." he'd say to himself as he slowly but surely lifted the equipment up into the air. Then, without a second thought, he'd swing his arm to the left - causing the conditioner to fly to the far end of the plaza an explode in the middle of an empty patch of grass.
All eyes were on the air conditioner after it hit the ground, and Troy used that brief opening to grab Adam by the collar of his shirt and Starr by her hips before moving them from the rooftop to the parking lot - mere feet from the van's side door.
"Lizzie! It's us." he'd say, before sliding the van door open then making his way inside - with both Number Three and Two in his grasp still.
Once he softly placed the two of them on the floor of the van he'd slide the door shut and then climb in the front, where he'd notice blood on the front seat and the side of Number Four.
"God dammit!" he spat, before hopping out the passenger seat and making his way over to the drivers door - which he'd swing open in a hurry.
"Protest all you want but I'm driving."Being as careful as possible Troy would slowly slide Lizzie into the passenger seat - not caring how much she protested - before hopping in and slamming the door.
Within seconds the engine would roar to life and he'd peel out of the parking lot - flooring it down the road.
"Where am I even going!" he'd think to himself as he continued to drive, completely paranoid about being inside a vehicle that had "SWAT" written on the side of it. But luck seemed to be on there side, they hadn't passed under any helicopters or by other SWAT vehicles - or ANY vehicles for that matter, in a long time.
The isolation and dense tree cover on either side of the road probably looked the same to most people, but being from Lakeside he knew where they were, and suddenly an old place he use to sneak out to with his friends popped into his mind.
"Nana's Cabin!" he'd shout out, before suddenly hitting the breaks.
Troy would apologize for the abrupt stop before slowly backing up until he reached the barely noticeable dirt road he had passed half a mile back.
The van just barely fit down the long wooded pathway, but after a few minutes the foliage would begin to lessen until the large cabin came into view and the dirt road substantially widen - leading into the front yard where he'd park the vehicle.
"This cabin, it's practically hidden in the middle of nowhere, and my grandparents....they never revealed this place to anyone but family, so I think it's our best shot....we can't get out of town tonight, they're probably crawling at the city borders waiting for us."Without another word he'd open his door and step out, where he'd nearly trip on a old bike that he remembered riding from the property to the lake a few hundred yards behind the house as a teenager.
He didn't have time for flashbacks though, they needed to get inside and Lizzie needed her wound cleaned and covered, so after making his way around the van he'd slide the door open an look down at Adam.
"I don't know what happened to you but I need your help! Lizzie has bled all over the front of the van so I'm gonna go find a first aid kit, see that the girls get inside, okay?"His voice was stern but not void of sympathy, he felt bad for their current predicament but there was nothing he could do to change things now.
Troy would run up the wooden stairs and then frantically search for the spare key hidden within the welcome mat.
Thankfully it only took several seconds to find the slit in the fabric they had made years ago, which led to him being able to pull out the key.
Once inside he'd flick on a light, relieved to see that the generators still worked.
There were a few spider webs hanging from the roof an a thin layer dust on the sheets that covered all the furniture/counter-tops, but the place was in good shape outside of that, and Troy still knew it like the back of his hand. So he'd quickly make his way towards the first floor bathroom and begin to search for a first aid kit.
After a minute he was beginning to think there wasn't one, since he had pulled nearly everything out of the cabinets, however when he stood up out of frustration he'd come face to face with the mirror an it would hit him;
"Medicine Cabinet!"There behind the mirror was a long First Aid kit pressed into the bottom row, and Troy would snatch it out before making his way back into the living room, where he'd pull the sheets off the furniture to reveal perfectly clean couches and chairs. Dropping the first aid kit on the couch he'd make his way back towards the open front door, where the sky seemed to have darkened even more in the short moment he was inside - causing him to unconsciously look at his watch, which read 5:30pm.
"Come on, I found a first kit inside - I put it on the couch." he'd say as he walked over towards the back of the van.
"I'll be right back, make sure they get inside."After looking towards Adam for a moment Troy would begin jogging down the dirt road they had just driven up from.
Sure, the pathway was somewhat obscured from view until you were right up on it, but that still didn't sit well with Troy, so though exhausted he'd commit to using his power one more time today.
Holding his hand out again he'd focus what little energy he had left to move a few row of trees until they blocked the the way in or out - making the road practically hidden from view if driving passed it on the main road. It wasn't a permanent solution but it should by them the evening.
"Yeah, okay, I'm spent." Troy muttered, before falling back into the dirt.
The sun could still partially be seen in the sky but it was dark enough out that the stars were starting to show, an as if in a planetarium he'd stare up at them.
"Emi..." he'd muttered, before remembering he had told his sister to stay with a friend.
Troy was actually lucky his parents were out of town now, as much as he wanted to see them before they left it was better this way - at least they're safe.
A vibration in his side pocket would remind him that he had his phone on him. It was the same alarm that goes off every day at 5:45pm, reminding him to call home and check on his girlfriend, who use to arrive home around five. He had yet to remove the alarm, afraid it would mean things were really over......but tonight, after all they had been through, it was even more obvious than ever that things wouldn't go back to being like they were a month or two ago. So pulling out his phone he'd cancel the alarm.....and then delete it.
Completely exhausted he'd lay there in the dirt for a few more minutes before forcing himself to his feet - where he'd slowly head back towards the Cabin.
