Chapter Eighteen

Jayden and Chastity slipped outside while everyone was still sleeping. They needed to speak without any chance of being overheard. They quickly started running and soon were far from the cave and any prying ears.

“Jayden, you know we can’t let anything happen to them, right? I’ve seen the way you act with Phoenix and some of the others. You can’t possibly want harm to come to them.” she said. She was hoping she wouldn’t have to fight him as well as keep the humans safe.

“I don’t want to sabotage them anymore. I’ve grown too attached, but Vyco can’t find out. If he knows that I’m no longer helping him, he’ll send in demons and it will be a massacre. If the humans think the enemy soldiers are despicable, they haven’t seen anything yet. We could try to protect them but I can’t chance someone I care about getting hurt. I know it would be hard for you if anything were to happen to John,” Jayden said.

“I’ve never felt anything like this before. It’s almost as if something was to happen to him, I’d cease to exist,” she said, finding it difficult to describe the intensity of what she felt.

“Believe me, I was barely able to let Phoenix out of my sight when I first found her. It felt like my heart was ripping from my chest when I even imagined being away from her. I still need to protect her but it’s not such a crushing feeling for us to part for a while, as long as I know she’s safe. This war will be hard, but we must stay strong and focused on the mission. We’ll meet here each night before the battles and make sure we’re on the same page.”

“I’m so glad you’re here and helping. I don’t know how I could do this without you by my side. I really have missed you, Jayden. I’m so scared,” she said as tears filled her eyes.

“We’ll be okay, Chastity. Just because we have chosen different paths doesn’t mean we can’t fight together one last time,” Jayden said with a sad smile.

“It doesn’t have to only be this one time, Jayden. We can be together again for always,” she pleaded with him.

“It’s too late for me to change directions, even if I wanted to, though I’m not saying I do. I made my choice long ago. If it weren’t for these strange feelings I have for Phoenix, nothing would’ve changed for me,” Jayden warned her. He didn’t want her to get her hopes up. He cared too much for her to let her down.

“I think you are lying to yourself more than you’re lying to me. I know you, Jayden, and I can see you’re still the same angel I’ve always loved,” she said.

“I wish I could tell you what you want to hear. Let’s just get through this next battle. We don’t have the time to analyze my choices,” he said. He looked as frustrated as she felt in that endless moment.

Chastity realized she wasn’t going to get all the answers she so desperately needed. They’d already lived centuries. They’d get through this trial on Earth and she knew she’d get through to him before it was all over.

It was early in the morning – the sun hadn’t even risen yet and they were marching through the woods. The trip had taken them several days and they were going in groups so they wouldn’t attract attention, or find it too hard to hide when aircraft flew over.

Phoenix was terrified but refused to stay behind. Jayden and John were in the lead and she knew their positions were the riskiest of all. They had radios and everyone regularly checked in, but still, she worried.

Sadie was right next to Phoenix, though that was both comforting and stressful. How would she cope if someone she loved died? They were approaching serious danger and she knew Jayden and John were getting ready to head in. The snipers were in position. She stood completely motionless, holding her breath, as she heard them speaking in the earpieces.

“We’re in position. Take out the tower guards,” Jayden whispered. Phoenix’s heart skyrocketed as she waited for the next words. All their weapons were silent, but if the slightest thing went wrong, they could easily die. With John and Jayden in the front, they’d surely be the first to go.

“Copy that, in three… two… one…” there was silence and Phoenix was afraid to even breathe as she waited to hear what was coming next. Sadie sat next to Phoenix with her eyes filled with terror and tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Got them, go… go… go…” came the urgent whisper over the earpiece. “Team Charlie, move in now,” came the command a few seconds later. “Team Alpha you have a go,” the commands kept coming but she heard nothing from John or Jayden. Her group was one of the last to go in and though she wanted to rush forward, it could cause even more danger, so she waited like she’d promised. She knew if her brother had his way she’d never even enter the compound.

“The communication room has been disabled. The guards are dead. They didn’t have a chance to get any alerts sent out,” said the relieved voice of her brother. It took a few seconds for John’s words to sink in. Phoenix knew the battle wasn’t yet over, but their biggest threat had been eliminated.

“Jayden isn’t really giving me anything to do, though. Damn, he moves fast,” John spoke again and the humor in his voice caught Phoenix off guard.

“I don’t find you amusing, John,” Phoenix snapped into her microphone, though she wasn’t supposed to speak unless it pertained to their mission.

“Oh, come on Phoenix, he’s doing great,” Jayden said with his own smile coming through, loud and clear, making her see red. They acted like they were playing a game of soldiers, not like there were lives at risk. She was going to beat the crud out of both of them once she knew they were safe.

She refused to say anything further to either of them. Once it was over and they were together again, they wouldn’t be able to shut her up.

“We got all the guards. Team Tango, you can move in,” one of the sharpshooters said into the microphone. Phoenix and Sadie jumped up and headed to the prison camp. Neither of them could believe how quickly the enemy soldiers had been taken out. The entire invasion hadn’t lasted more than about ten minutes.

Their own men were now stationed at the wide open front gates and Phoenix scanned the area as the sun began to rise. There weren’t any prisoners about and she imagined they were cowering in their cells.

Someone warned Phoenix not to touch any portion of the two-layered fence made of concrete with deadly barbed wire on top. It was electrified and they hadn’t yet turned off the power. She wouldn’t have tried to touch it anyway.

The top of the fence was bent inward so the prisoners could not scale it. Just inside the two barbed wires was a smaller fence, for which she did not see a purpose. It wasn’t like they’d be able to climb any part of it. Lights lined the top of the fence, making the area visible to the watching guards. Phoenix was beginning to understand how lucky Chastity and the other women were to have escaped. She couldn’t see how they got over the deadly fence.

As Phoenix wandered farther into the camp, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing or smelling. Horrible odors came from a building that had several chimneys billowing smoke.

“It’s all clear. I repeat, all clear,” one of the guards said, and all the men seemed to relax.

“We need to move fast. Let’s find the prisoners and get out of here,” Larry said over the earpiece.

“Copy that. I’ve located their vehicles. We’ll make it home much quicker than we got here. Be ready to go within one hour. Leads, I need you to confirm,” the head of security said. She heard several voices of those in charge of each unit speak into her earpiece. Then there was a flurry of activity.

Several Hummers were brought out to transport them back home. Phoenix watched in horror as the soldiers opened the cage doors. The prisoners cowered as they began slowly emerging. Their bodies were nothing but skeletal frames, and their expressions of sheer terror would haunt Phoenix for the rest of her life. She’d seen some incredibly abused people show up at the caves, but she didn’t see how these people were still alive.

Phoenix saw a little girl with sunken cheeks and big brown eyes, clutching the hand of a woman, and she wanted nothing more than to run to her and wrap her in a large blanket. The former prisoners were quickly led to vehicles and as soon as one filled to overflowing, it would depart. The process took more than an hour. With the available enemy transportation, thousands of people were rescued.

Phoenix and Sadie cautiously entered the building with the billowing smoke and peered inside. They’d been told not to wander but they couldn’t fathom what was making the horrific odor. As they neared the door their eyes were drawn to a huge pile of clothes.

They were terrified of walking through the doors but couldn’t turn back. They stepped inside and saw several steel doors. There wasn’t anything too odd about that, but then they went to the end where there was another door and what they saw would change them forever.

At that moment their childhood ended. Before them, piled as if they were nothing more than garbage, were malnourished bodies. The pile must’ve been about ten feet high and equally as wide. There were children and adults of all ages, naked and dead. Some still had their eyes open, and the terror they must have felt in their final moments bored into Phoenix’s heart.

Phoenix and Sadie gripped hands as they stared at the indescribable sight before them, both sobbing uncontrollably. They wanted to turn and run, but they were frozen in shock. Neither of them imagined something so bad could ever happen. One human being couldn’t do that to another. It just didn’t seem possible.

“Girls, you need to get out of here,” Larry gently said as he came up behind them and laid a comforting hand on each of their shoulders.

“Oh, Daddy, this is so horrible,” Phoenix sobbed and clutched her father as her emotions ran over. Sadie clung to him under his other arm and both girls stood there, shaking in pain and denial of something too horrific to comprehend. Larry spoke into his microphone and a few minutes later, John and Jayden appeared.

“Can you lead the girls out of here? I’ve called some soldiers to properly take care of these people,” Larry said to the boys. Neither girl was even capable of speech, let alone movement, so John and Jayden swept them into their arms and carried them away.

Brian saw them crossing the desolate prison yard and came running to help. John explained what they’d seen and quickly transferred Sadie into his arms. Phoenix didn’t remember much more from that point, other than sometime later they were driving away. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and wake up to find the events of the past few years had been nothing but a nightmare.

“Phoenix, wake up, we’re back now,” Jayden spoke into Phoenix’s ear. She didn’t want to wake up because if she did, the truth would come rushing back and she no longer wanted to be any part of a reality where human beings could be abused as badly as she’d seen.

Jayden carried Phoenix down the hall to her room. He set her on her feet and held her tightly against his body. He knew she was still in shock. What she’d seen was beyond comprehension. It pained him to see her this way.

Jayden started to pull away and Phoenix whimpered. “Please, stay with me. I don’t want to be alone,” she said as a sob escaped her lips.

Her father was standing in the hallway not far away and Jayden looked over at him. He would never disrespect her father, who’d been very good to both him and his sister, but he couldn’t deny Phoenix anything she wanted. Larry nodded, giving silent permission, then turned and walked away. Jayden felt another piece of ice chip away from his heart at the trust Larry placed in him with his daughter and the fragile state she was in.

He once again scooped Phoenix into his arms and walked through her doorway, gently laying her on her bed. She gazed at him with huge, frightened eyes. She’d never looked more like a child than in that moment.

“Is someone staying with Sadie?” she asked, concerned for her best friend more than for herself.

“Yes, Sadie won’t be alone,” he answered as he began undoing her shoes. He was certainly going to be put through the test of his endurance that night, lying next to her. He wouldn’t violate her trust, or her father’s, by crossing the boundaries with her when she was so vulnerable, but his body would certainly pay the price by morning.

“I’m going to jump over to my room to change into sweats real quick. Put your pajamas on and I’ll be back before you know it,” he told her. He could see she wanted to protest his absence, even if it was only for a few minutes, but she nodded reluctantly and sat up. He slipped out the door and changed in record time.

Back at her door, he knocked softly, realizing she most likely wasn’t ready for him yet. “I’m almost done,” she said and he could hear the relief in her voice that he’d returned to her so fast. “Okay, come in, Jayden.”

He stepped inside and took a deep breath. She was so innocent and yet devastatingly stunning at the same time. Her face had red blotches from crying and she was wearing a baggy shirt and sweats, her hair hanging free around her shoulders. She still had the frightened eyes but she was still the most beautiful being he’d ever seen.

“Do you want to get some food first?” he asked, finding he wanted to stall climbing into her bed. He thought his sister would get pleasure out of the fact that he was terrified of the petite human. At that moment she could bring him to his knees and was far more dangerous than anything else in existence.

“I don’t want to leave my room,” she told him. He sighed because he knew he was stuck for the rest of the night, surrounded by her scent. He’d certainly learn a lot about his own self-control.

There was a knock at her door and he turned his head to see her father walk in with a tray of food. “I didn’t think you’d feel like going to the kitchen, but you must be hungry, so please try to eat something, Phoenix. You’ll sleep better if you do,” her father said as he set the tray down. Jayden had never felt claustrophobia before, but being in such a small room with the girl he loved, and her father, became increasingly uncomfortable.

“I’ll try, Daddy,” she said and he gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek, nodding at Jayden and quickly departing.

It took Jayden some effort but he managed to get her to eat some. Then, there was nothing else to do but lie down in her tiny bed. He took a deep breath and prepared to suffer.

Phoenix immediately snuggled close to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She was trembling slightly, not from cold but because she couldn’t get the images out of her mind. He pulled her even closer to him and ran his hands up and down her delicate spine, nearly groaning at the pleasure of touching her. She was perfect to him in every way.

“Talk to me, Jayden,” she asked him sleepily. He knew she just needed to hear the sound of his voice so her own frightening thoughts could be pushed out. He thought for a moment about what he could say and decided to paint a picture of the future.

“When this is over we’re going to have a beautiful piece of land, where we’ll plant a garden and have all your family and friends nearby. I can picture it in the summertime when it’s warm and everything is in bloom, with you running through the fields while your laughter echoes off the mountains,” he said. He could feel her body relaxing at his words so he continued.

“John and Chastity will live close by, along with Sadie and Brian and our children will all grow up together,” he told her, which caused a sigh to escape her lips. “You know, I can’t live without you, Phoenix,” he said. He wanted her to understand he was never going to go away. He didn’t know why it happened but he knew without her in his life, he wouldn’t want to exist. Everything around him would become meaningless.

“I love you, Jayden,” she said with a sleepy sigh. He felt the moment when she stopped fighting and fell asleep, feeling safe and comforted in his arms. Her words seemed to transport him to another plane.

He no longer felt tortured lying next to her. He still wanted her. He didn’t think the feeling would ever diminish, but knowing he was providing comfort for her took away his pain. He felt himself begin to drift as he pictured her running down their mountain with a child in her arms. Her face shining in laughter was his last thought before drifting to sleep.

John stood under the shower, fighting his own demons. He’d been one of the soldiers who’d taken care of the bodies. There was no way they could have left all those bodies there as if they meant nothing more than yesterday’s garbage. They deserved a proper burial. There was no time to dig individual graves, so they had to dig one mass grave. John vowed that when everything was over, the dead would get a proper memorial.

So many lost lives and the worst part was, he didn’t really understand why. Was power so important it was worth literally trampling human beings underneath your feet to get it? He couldn’t understand the kind of monsters who could be so evil. Why were other people not stepping in and stopping the war? Did they find it amusing that the Americans were being slaughtered? For all John knew, there was war all over the planet.

He hung his head, grateful for the hot spray and trying to wash away his tension. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to sleep again. He’d never get that look on Phoenix’s face out of his mind. His sister’s innocence had been utterly destroyed that day and he wanted to go back and protect her, making sure she never again would have to see something so horrific. John punched the wall in frustration and swore as his knuckle immediately began to throb.

He wrapped the towel around his lower body, walked into the changing area and was startled to find Chastity sitting there. They stared at each other for a moment, neither of them speaking. He sat on the bench next to her, feeling comforted by her presence.

“I needed to be with you,” she finally said. John understood how she felt. He didn’t want to be alone that night, either, but being a guy, he didn’t want to admit it. “It’s been a really bad day,” she said.

“I’m sorry, Chastity. You just escaped from that horrible place and then had to go back,” he said as he pulled her into his arms. John had no way of knowing she was far more concerned about his well-being than he was for hers. She was certainly sympathetic to the humans and their plight, but John was her first concern.

“I want to stay with you tonight,” she said apprehensively, worried he might reject her.

“Good,” was all he said. He stood, intertwined their fingers, and led her down the hallway, into his room. He didn’t even take time to change. Chastity had never desired a human before John. He was amazing in every possible way, from his muscled body to his compassion-filled eyes.

They reached his room and as soon as the door shut, he wrapped his arms around her and lowered his mouth to hers. She was shocked by the desire pooling inside her. He stroked her mouth with his tongue, while running his hands along her back.

She knew they’d regret being too hasty in their relationship but she didn’t know where she was going to find the strength to pull away. He moved his lips down her neck and gently nipped the soft skin of her throat, causing a moan to escape her mouth.

Just as quickly as he’d pulled her into his arms, he released her, and took a step back. “I’m sorry, Chastity. We shouldn’t do this. I’m just so messed up right now. Can you turn around so I can throw some clothes on?” he asked. She felt empty without his arms around her but she turned, giving them both a few minutes to pull themselves together.

She heard some rustling of clothes and then felt John’s hands slip around her. She placed her hands over his, resting them on her stomach. “Thank you, John,” she simply said as she laid her head back against his solid chest. He stroked her stomach, causing butterflies to swarm and slowly backed up, sitting on his bed, pulling her with him.

He turned her so she was sitting across his lap and brought his lips back to hers. Kissing her gently made all his cares quickly fade away. He didn’t know how long they remained locked in each other’s arms, but eventually they lay down and he pulled her tightly against him.

She snuggled next to him and somehow he managed to drift off. Instead of the nightmares he’d been expecting, his dreams were filled with visions of the future, with Chastity by his side.