Chapter Forty-One: Aspen

Chapter Forty-One
~ Aspen ~

Jax and I moved quickly through the dense crowd. We hadn’t talked much on the way here. There was just too much at stake. It was a lot to take in, and neither of us really knew how to handle it. I’d gone into autopilot mode, and I wasn’t planning on turning it off until all of us were safe and this was all over. It’s how I’d survived this long, and I could only hope that it would get me through this too.
The market was packed. It was both relieving and incredibly strange to be surrounded by technology again. And modern clothes. I had forgotten how behind E and the guys were. Jax suddenly placed a hand against my bicep, and I stopped walking.
“That’s her.” He gestured to a woman leaning casually against a fresh produce stand, and I moved toward her without hesitation. This conversation needed to happen as quickly as possible. There was no telling when the attack would arrive. They could already be there.
“Excuse me?” I tried to keep the urgency out of my voice.
She glanced up at me with a smile. I did a double take as I saw how similar she looked to Grey. They had the same striking eyes, firm jaw, and dark hair. She straightened to her full height and her expression widened into a grin.
“What can I get for you?”
“I’m a friend of Lexa’s.” I said, getting right to it. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she glanced around herself nervously. “We need your help.”
“I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong person.” She rubbed her hands together anxiously and backed away a few steps. I felt Jax stiffen beside me.
“Grey wants to see you.” I blurted the words without even meaning to. Her eyes widened again, and her lips parted as if she didn't know what to say. “Please. All you have to do is come with us and videotape the fight. Or send someone else who will.”
She looked deep in thought for several long moments, and I felt my hope fading. This wouldn’t work without her. We need the world to see what’s going on. We need people to know that we aren’t the enemy. Finally, after what felt like hours, she nodded.
“I’ll do it.”
A relieved smile broke out onto my face at that.

……..

When we got back, I feared we were too late. It was complete chaos. We heard the screaming and destruction long before we could see anything. The grass was littered with bodies. I didn't have time to identify any of them. I didn’t even know if they were on our side or not. Selfishly, I was looking for my people. My team. I spotted Will on the roof, looking pensive, and let out a heavy breath.
“Take her.” I practically barked the order at Jax and pushed Grey’s mom into his arms.
A second later, they were invisible. He had the best chance at getting her up there with Will. It would be the safest spot, and she would be able to get a clear shot of everything going on below her. I sensed someone coming up behind me and willed them to stop. When I whirled around, it was a man with a gun pointed right at me. My eyes widened and I plucked it from his hand before smashing it against his head. He crumpled to the ground, and I took off running.
My eyes scanned the area as I went. That’s when I saw E and Grey fighting with their backs pressed together. Without thinking, I rushed toward them. E was using her powers to keep people away, but Grey was playing dirty. He was using nothing but his fists. I called his name and his head snapped in my direction.
“Aspen.” His voice was dripping with relief. I winced when his opponent used his distraction and landed a punch to his jaw.
I called his name again and tossed the gun in his direction. I wouldn’t be able to use that thing against anyone, but I knew he would without question. A deafening bang sounded before I felt his arms wrap around me. He crushed his lips against mine, but I pushed him back.
“Not now.” If we did that now, we probably wouldn’t be alive to try again later.
He nodded in understanding and turned around to shoot at the two men advancing on E. She smiled at him gratefully and we gave each other a nod of acknowledgement. She knew that we’d been successful in bringing his mom, and I knew what I still needed to do. I had to call it when the time was right.
There were a shit ton of men on dad’s side, but it didn’t look like we were outnumbered. I noticed that the kids were nowhere to be found and knew they were in the building. Safe, for now. I decided to head that way to make sure. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to them. My surroundings were nothing but explosions and the sound of death. That was the only way to describe the screams and sounds of bodies dropping to the ground every few seconds.
I weaved through the action, willing everyone to stay at least a few feet away from me. It was working surprisingly well so far. I ducked into the building and surveyed my surroundings quickly. It was eerily calm compared to the insanity outside. That gave me some peace of mind, until something shoved me to the ground. I practically face planted but managed to catch myself at the last second. I flipped onto my back and rolled out of the way as a huge man brought a steel rod down in my direction.
It slammed into the ground where I’d just been, and I winced. I willed him to freeze, and he did. I tried to catch my breath as I watched him closely. I made him turn around and walk right back out the door before grabbing the rod from his hands and slamming it against the back of his head. He dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks, and I stepped over his body, trying not to give it a second thought.
That’s when I noticed just how screwed we were. The kids were fine and that was a good thing, but the rest of our people were struggling. More and more men from dad’s side were invading from the woods. Countless bodies lay on the ground, dead or about to be. Most of them were our own. My heart clenched painfully in my chest. My eyes found Grey across the field, and I sprinted toward him. He’d just killed the guy approaching him when I got there.
I practically fell into his arms, exhausted. “We have to call it.”
“What?” He almost yelled, his eyes getting bigger than I’d ever seen them.
“I’m calling it.” I repeated, my voice stronger. “It’s over.”
His eyes danced around my face for a moment, but he eventually nodded. He spoke into a walkie-talkie that I didn't realize he had and wrapped an arm around me tightly.
“I need you to stop as many of these fuckers as possible, okay?” He asked, looking like it stressed him the hell out.
I nodded in understanding and closed my eyes tightly. I willed everyone on dad’s side around me to freeze. I concentrated harder than ever before and tried to spread it as far as possible. A sudden, eerie silence fell over the grassy field. I pried my eyes open, and my jaw dropped when I saw what I’d done. It looked like they’d all been frozen in time. Our people were looking around, confused, as they tried to gather themselves and find their loved ones.
Grey took off. It was go time. We had to get everyone to the tunnels so we could find the ship E told me about. Now, it was just about damage control. I saw Will and Jax disappear into the office building and knew the kids were in good hands. Grey was yelling out directions and leading people into a tunnel on the edge of the woods. Someone’s hand twitched beside me and I knew I couldn’t hold this for much longer. Not to mention, I wouldn’t be able to move until the last second. I knew the moment I did, I would lose concentration.
In a matter of minutes, all of our remaining people were safely underground. Grey came barreling toward me at the same moment a man to my left sprung free of his invisible chains. Grey punched him with all his strength, and he was out cold.
“Ready?” He asked as he scooped me into his arms. I nodded, feeling my body go limp. That had taken nearly all my energy. My eyes drooped and I knew I would lose consciousness soon.
I knew Grey was running. I registered that we went underground when the temperature plummeted, and it got much darker. Hushed whispers and the sound of feet padding against frozen dirt filled my ears. I forced my eyes open when I heard a loud explosion come from above us and a rumbling throughout the tunnel to see Will and Jax approaching. I thought they looked concerned, but I couldn't quite tell in my half-awake state. But the words that Will rushed out, pure panic in his voice, were loud and clear. And they had my heart crashing all the way to the bottom of my stomach.
“Where’s Lex?”