"Zether? Jack? Jesus?" Cleo stood up, looking at the three, interrupting boys. "What is it?"
"And why the hell are you even here!?" barled an enraged Caesar. "This is unacceptable! We're in the middle of a Summit, and—."
"It's the scouting party that went into the Labyrinthe with Stryker!" snapped Zether. "Something's happened. None of them have returned, and the Gates close in about 10 minutes!"
This caused Reya to gasp, before rushing out the door of the attic, followed by Aaron, with Caesar, Alyssa, Cleo, Jack, Jesus and Zether bringing up the rear.
When they left his sight, Austin realised he couldn't move. The fear. The shock. There was a feeling deep inside him — an intuition that things were about to get far worse in a matter of moments, and that scared him. He didn't know what was about to happen, but his body — his mind — his gut —Everything inside him was screaming the same thing, and, along with the it, he heard the Voice within him say: 'The worst… Expect the worst. The worst has happened. Be prepared!'
"Are you good, newbie?" suddenly, a voice broke him from his dazed state, and he realised Aaron had come back, with a concerned look on his face. He was observing Austin, staring at him, as if trying to guess what was the max weight he could lift was. Austin just nodded, and he said "Dude, relax, you look like like you're thinkin' too much. I'm sure Stryker's alright. He's Stryker. C'mon, let's go."
As Austin wondered just how perceptive this guy was, he ended up realising he must have been an open book, his face. Though he wasn't sure he liked being so easy to read all that much, he made a mental note to remedy that later, before nodding his head in acknowledgement. "Reya said that eyes glowing is common for those of us who have abilities. Does Stryker's glow? Does he have abilities?"
"True, those with abilities have glowing eyes respective to their powers, which are based on the crests they have," Aaron hesitantly nodded, before continuing. "People with the Raven crest, like Reya, have eyes that glow purple, while people with the Lion's crest, like Jackson, have eyes that glows golden. And while it's true that Stryker doesn't have powers, despite possessing the Raven crest, he does have experience, and the skills to survive…. Eh, look, are we done here, or can we go? I need to see what the hell is goin' on out there, and what the hell is that ruckus."
Nodding, Austin watched as Aaron headed out the trapdoor of the attic, before pausing, turning to Austin and said "Dude, are you coming?"
And Austin followed Aaron out the attic.
By the time Aaron and Austin had arrived to the Northern Gate, all of the Meadowers were there, starring out into the Labyrinthe, waiting in anticipation for what will happen in the 7 minutes until the Gate closed.
Reya, who was at the head of the group of teenagers and adolescents with Cleo, Zether and Caesar beside her, looked, almost expressionlessly through the entrance. But Austin sensed that she was distraught and hurting, possibly the most worried of everyone there, considering her brother was still in there. But she was a leader; she couldn't show it. She had to look the part, no matter how hard her heart stung for her brother's safety.
It was almost 3 minutes until the Gates closed, as the mutterings and talkings increased amongst the group. And, at the start of the 1 min left until the closing of the Gate, according to the digital timer on the gate, the nervous anticipation of the group became so intense and thick, that one could have cut it with a knife.
When he asked Zether why they couldn't look for their leader, he replied with "That would mean going into the Labyrinthe, and that's forbidden at the point in time, without permission," but Austin was certain fear was another reason why. After all, no one wanted to meet an Annihilator, or worse, a Savager or Bane Brother.
The digital clock embedded into the vaulted door read 45 seconds until it closed and they still couldn't see them. Anxiety was high, nervousness and fear paralyzed the group. That was until they saw them at the 39 second mark: Stryker and 3 scouts — but something was wrong. Their clothes were dirty, holey, bloody and reduced to rags, as both their bodies and clothes were littered with what Austin could only asusme to be bite marks, scratch marks and bloody cuts and scrapes and all other kinds of nasty looking wounds.
Only Stryker and 1 other scout was there enough to carry their wounded partners, but the pain and exhaustion that they radiated was too great and it was obvious that their wounds and their exhaustion from carrying their brethren were slowing them down.
"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, god no," Reya's resolve broke at the sight of her injured brother, and that of her injured, fellow Meadowers. "They aren't okay. They aren't going to make it."
With the screaming and screaming of encouragement from the other Meadowers, Austin nearly did not hear Reya. But frankly, he did, and her words near broke him. The way she sounded broken, had Austin wanting to hug her, but he knew she would never allow it. It also wouldn't help the situation; even Austin knew that Stryker and crew wouldn't make it — They were too far off, almost a full 10 meters away from the Gate, which was beginning to creak, as if about to close. And, as the clock reach 5 seconds, Austin looked at Reya, whose focus was still on Stryker and the 3 scouts still struggling to reach the already closing doors, before eyeing Aaron, who also eyeing the same people. As Austin's eyes turned turned to the other teenagers in the crowd, he noticed all their focus was on their struggling leader and the three struggling scouts with him. And it was during this split second, right as there were only 3 seconds on the clock, that Austin's body moved on it own.
"Newbie, wait—." Austin heard the voice one of the teenagers, but it was too late.
Surging forward, grasping arms and surprised gasps of his name, Austin made it past the closing of the Gate, just as it closed, his last sight of the Meadows were shocked faces and closing Gates.