Knights v Hunters; The Return

Jude was doing a walk-through in one part of the compound when Ethan spoke to him. The Hunters were all equipped with earpieces with the communication being managed through the control centre. Apparently, Mayor Strong had called because a police patrol outside the Hunters’ compound had spotted a large number of cars in the northwest corner. Ethan said that the mayor wanted to know whether the Hunters required assistance but he had assured the mayor that they had it handled and that the police should drive past these men and not approach them under any circumstances. So the attack was about to begin, Jude realised, alerting all the Hunters guarding the perimeters of the compound.

The Young Hunters were tasked with protecting the control centre and were instructed to do so at all costs. The control centre was the physical arm of their intelligence operations and was a crucial component in the Hunters’ ability to protect Normal society. Ava was caring for Grace at home, the Knight being severely dehydrated with a mild case of hypothermia. Once the Untouchables were driven out, the Hunters would return Grace to Knight town, or what remained of it!

“Rafe,” Jude spoke to his son.

“Yeah, Dad?” Rafe responded from inside the control centre.

“Do you have visuals of the perimeters?” Jude asked, wanting to know if any of the Untouchables had been able to get over the walls.

“Yes. The Untouchables are spreading out, with most heading towards the wall at the back of the compound, close to where we found Grace. Guess they know that the Hunters don’t occupy that area anymore.”

“Anyone over the wall yet?” Jude asked.

“No, not yet, but we have sufficient Hunters to cover that area. If anyone gets over that wall, they won’t last long,” Rafe assured his father. “You did say that we should let the Untouchables in so that we can take them out inside the compound, right?” he clarified.

“Yes,” Jude confirmed. “We want them inside so that they can be eliminated here. The fewer left, the better.”

The rest of the Hunters acknowledged the plan, all on watch.

“Dad, what should we do with Zeke?” Caleb asked the dreaded question. To his memory, they had never eliminated one of their own before.

“Treat him like the enemy, but keep him alive if possible. I relish the opportunity to talk to him,” Jude said fiercely.

“The Untouchables are at the Hunters’ compound,” Matthew told his father. Caleb was keeping them informed of the latest happenings. Apparently, some of the Untouchables had managed to get over the wall. They were heavily armed and a fierce battle was about to ensue.

“Let’s hope the Hunters eliminate as many as possible,” Eden said, surprising herself. As a Knight, she should have wished for salvation of the souls of the Untouchables.

“I feel the same,” Josh admitted, “which is very un-Knight-like of us, but I don’t think these condemned are redeemable.”

“We have to do what’s necessary to protect our people,” Gabe said, “even if that means taking lives. Although it is not our place to judge, these are not the lives of innocents, so I will feel no compunction in protecting what is ours, because in doing so, we can continue to fulfil our purpose in life.”

Knight town was now well lit for this time of night, but the extra light helped with vision and provided an added advantage. Now, all they had to do was to wait for the Untouchables who survived the Hunter onslaught, to make their way to their former home!

Becca heard something break as she punched one of the Untouchables who had made his way close to the control centre. She hoped it hurt, as the Untouchable slumped to the ground, clutching his shoulder in pain. Serves him right, she thought, looking at the man who was more than twice her size.

Caleb watched with pride as Becca took down the Untouchable. She had got in some hefty blows to the big man while avoiding his return punches. The fact that she had managed to disarm him of his weapons first, impressed Caleb. This Hunter could take care of herself! He had raced out of the control centre, leaving Rafe and Ella to man the communications when he had seen the heavily armed Untouchable make his way close to Becca. So much for him worrying!

“Well, I wouldn’t want to get on your bad side!” Caleb laughed. Becca turned towards him, a broad grin lighting up her pretty face.

“Good,” she said, using her arrow on the Untouchable who had failed to get up after dislocating his shoulder. Caleb helped her to move the body out of sight, where he found the bodies of three more Untouchables! “The Zolfars’ intel was correct,” Becca said. “Most of them have been making their way to our control centre.”

“And you’ve been picking them off one by one,” he said with pride.

“Oh, I had help,” Becca admitted. “Your dad saw them and was my eyes out there.”

“Three more heading your way, Becca,” Rafe called out. Becca and Caleb stood back to back, waiting for the enemy.

“They have knives and guns!” Caleb exclaimed. “Watch your left, Bec!”

“Got it,” Becca said, seeing one of the Untouchables come straight toward her. She turned around intending to use her arrow, but the Untouchable looked afraid and dropped the knife he was wielding. Still, he put down his head and charged towards her, knocking her off her feet and landing on top of her; but Becca was strong and as she had told Caleb earlier, this time, she would fight like a girl! She managed to get out from under the Untouchable, momentarily stunning him and leapt to her feet, all the while aware that Caleb had taken on the other two Untouchables and was engaged in a bitter battle. Her attacker meanwhile, had made it to his feet, and aimed a punch towards her. She managed to sidestep him, launching a counterattack of her own, which saw him land unceremoniously on his butt! This time, she didn’t hesitate to use her arrow, eliminating him in a matter of seconds and then turning around to see whether Caleb needed any help.

Caleb had managed to knock one of the Untouchables off his feet, but the other clung to his back, trying to choke him. The one on the floor then pulled something out of his pocket that Becca recognised. Pepper spray! She ran towards him, shooting her arrow straight into his heart.

“Supposed to be a fair fight,” she said angrily as Caleb managed to dislodge the other man, elbowing him so hard that he heard the man’s ribs crack. He turned around and used his arrow and together with Becca, helped carry the three bodies to join those of their teammates.

Rafe caught up with them a few minutes later. “Sorry,” he said, “I can’t let you guys have all the fun!”

“Who’s with Ella?” Caleb asked, knowing that Rafe would not have left her on her own.

“Eli and Maya,” Rafe said.

“Great, let’s go find us some more Untouchables!” Caleb said, clapping his hands.

“Zeke won’t come here,” Jude told Ethan, as they walked along the perimeter of the compound.

“I’m sure he would love to destroy the control centre himself, though,” Ethan told his friend, “but I think you’re right. His hatred of us is only superseded by his hatred of the Knights. He’ll send his men into the compound, knowing that they won’t make it out, but using it as a warning to us that he hasn’t forgiven us for letting him go, for believing he was dead.” Ethan paused. “You know what he’s after, right?” Ethan asked Jude.

“Yes,” Jude confirmed, “and so does Gabe. He’ll do whatever’s necessary to protect it. We can’t do anything from here, not until the Untouchables have been eliminated or have retreated.”

“Dad,” Rafe spoke to his father. “The Zolfars have indicated that a last wave of the Untouchables is heading towards the control centre and they are armed with grenades!”

“We’re on our way,” Jude said, heading towards the control centre around which their existence depended.

An hour of intense fighting ensued in several areas of the compound. The Hunters suffered a few injuries, thankfully none of them life threatening. The Untouchables had attempted to use most of the weapons they had brought with them, including the knives which caused the most injuries. Fortunately, only one grenade had been used, which had resulted in minimal damage to a Hunter’s home. None of the Untouchables had made it close enough to the control centre and the Young Hunters had displayed immense courage in fending off their attackers. Eventually, what few Untouchables remained, retreated, climbing easily over the boundary walls of the compound and driving away in their vehicles. Ethan noted that most of the Untouchables seemed crazed, almost as if they were on drugs.

Jude surveyed the damage in front of him and received reports from the Hunters on the situation in other parts of the compound. There wasn’t much damage or injuries reported. However, the bodies of the Untouchables had piled up. Rafe noted that there were at least fifteen bodies, which meant that a large part of Ginello’s team had been eliminated.

“The Zolfars mentioned that there were at least twenty members who attended the meeting in the bakery. We counted at least fifteen Untouchables retreating, excluding the Zolfars, Seth, Ginello and Zeke, which means that the team is almost twice as big as was initially estimated,” Jude calculated.

“So, the Knights can expect at least twenty Untouchables,” Rafe said. “Dad, the Untouchables were heavily armed, but the Knights don’t use weapons. How will they protect themselves?”

It was a good question. “I have no idea, son,” Jude admitted. “I know the Untouchables won’t easily get past the Guardians though.” The Knights had never faced a battle like this in hundreds of years. He didn’t know whether they had it in themselves to fight for their survival!

“Are you using your magic potions again?” Grace asked, as she eventually woke up. Ava moved closer to the bed, feeling Grace’s temperature. Her friend was still too cold, though much better than before.

“Well, I’m using all my party tricks to get my friend well again,” Ava joked, her dimples deepening.

“So, how am I doing?” Grace asked, needing to know.

“Much better than before, but worse than normal,” Ava said honestly. “You’re very dehydrated and the cold well didn’t help you much. Besides that, I’m sure that you will be well enough soon to head off to Knight town.”

Grace thanked her oldest friend, thinking that it was ironic that Seth and his partner had dumped her in the same part of the compound that she used to visit years ago, when she met up with Ava. Did Seth know of the illicit meetings?

“If I’m doing so much better, why do you have that frown on your face?” Grace asked.

“Well, there is some bad news Gracie,” Ava paused. “It seems as if Seth’s partner in the mission to destroy both the Hunters and Knights, is… Zeke.”

“What?” Grace asked, trying to lift herself off the bed. Ava had to restrain her. “But I thought that he…” she finished off.

“Yes, so did we,” Ava said sadly.

“Oh no, Ava. Does Gabe know?” Grace asked desperately.

“Yes, he knows,” Ava confirmed. “He’ll take all the steps to do what is necessary.”

“We should have told her, you know,” Grace said. “But how do you tell someone that? We thought we’d have more time, but now, she’ll find out in the worst possible way!”

Ava thought for a moment. “These things always have a way of coming out, Gracie. You’re right, you should have told her, but she’ll deal with it anyway.”

“I just didn’t want her to find out from someone else and I thought that there would be very little chance of that considering that so few of us knew!” Grace cried.

“Yeah, but the truth will come out now and Gabe will handle it. Trust him,” Ava advised.

Grace nodded, whilst her heart hurt. Would she ever be forgiven for keeping this secret?

“Seems as if the Untouchables are heading our way,” Matthew said. “There were many who were eliminated, but there’s still a sufficient number of them on the team.”

“We’re ready for them,” Gabe said confidently. Sam and Peter were reporting in every five minutes. The Untouchables would be upon them soon enough. “Where are your sisters?” Gabe asked.

“They’re with Nate and Josh,” Matthew responded. “Father, will you let me know what’s going on? Why is Eden in more danger than the rest of us?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Gabe said with a sigh. “Eden is different and one of the strongest Knights in our town, which makes her a natural target.” Although it was the truth, Gabe realised that he couldn’t bear to share anything more with his eldest son, without Grace around to cushion some of the downfall.

Matthew knew that his father was not telling him the entire truth, but there were other, more important things about to happen. This would have to wait. And then Gabe would have to share the truth with all his children.

Eden hated the wait, all the while knowing that the Hunters were fighting to keep their own compound safe. She hoped that they were all okay. They were receiving updates from the Hunters, but now, Ella was sending them instead of Caleb or Rafe. Rafe! She hoped that he was safe, that the memory extraction hadn’t affected his ability to defend himself and keep alive. She would never forgive herself if harm came his way! He was still too important to her, the love they had once shared still alive in her memory, although no longer in his. He would never know how much he meant to her, she realised. He would never remember those conversations they shared, sometimes late at night, when they discussed their families, their hopes and their dreams. Rafe had made her believe that anything was possible, that their being together was fate. Well, fate sucked! she decided childishly. Now, he didn’t even recognise her! Not his fault, she chided.

“Hey Eden,” Kyra called. “Father says the Untouchables should be coming our way soon. Apparently, quite a few were eliminated by the Hunters, but there’s still a substantial number left.”

“Okay,” Eden said, almost looking forward to the fight with the Untouchables. Since meeting Rafe again, she had felt like punching something. Maybe she could take her frustrations out on the Untouchables!

When the Untouchables finally arrived outside Knight town, they waited for instructions from Seth and Zeke before proceeding. They had taken a beating from the Hunters, losing many of their kind in the process. They needed to re-evaluate their strategy to ensure that they incurred minimal, if any, losses.

“We might encounter greater resistance from the Guardians than the Hunters,” Seth began, “especially since we lost Noel. However, we still have Harper Zolfar, a former Guardian who knows better than us how to find any security gaps.”

Harper took centre stage for the next fifteen minutes, glad to be afforded the opportunity. She had chatted to Peter and Gabe in detail only hours ago and had plotted out a strategy to safely enter Knight town without any casualties. Like the Hunters, the Knights wanted to battle the Untouchables within the confines of Knight town, instead of taking the fight outside, into Normal society. The Untouchables could enter the town, but they would not be allowed to leave as a group intact. The only thing that concerned her though, was that the Knights rarely armed themselves, preferring hand- to- hand combat on the rare occasions when it was necessary to use force. Although the Knights had been in training and were fit and strong, the Untouchables tonight seemed to be twice as strong as normal. Leo said that they had taken drugs that fuelled their energy and strength. So, putting her concerns aside, Harper laid out the best plan to enter her former home.

She was not surprised when they easily and quietly entered Knight town almost an hour later. They had not encountered a single Guardian on the way and even Zeke was impressed with Harper, his earlier misgivings on including the two former Knights in Harper and Leo, seemingly no longer an issue. Once inside the town, Seth and Zeke took control of the proceedings. Knight town was very well lit up, which would inhibit undetected movement of the Untouchables, but Seth knew his home better than anyone else who lived there and knew how to move around, virtually unseen. So that’s how he managed to work with Mrs Ginello and Zeke all these years without anyone noticing his absences, Harper realised.

The Blocker had decided to block the tracking ability of the Knights, thus allowing the Untouchables easier movement within Knight town. However, Harper knew that the Sensors and Seers within the town would easily be able to pick them up. Even the Guardians were currently aware of their whereabouts, knew that they were heading to the centre of the town, closer to the town hall which Seth planned to use as his base of operations to clean the Knights of all their abilities.

Matthew, Josh and Eden were near the town hall, knowing that would be the eventual destination of the Untouchables. They had seen the Untouchables approach, all heavily armed. The Knights knew that they would have to disarm the Untouchables if they were to have any chance against them and they had a plan in place to do that. However, it would require great patience and fortitude.

A scream pierced the air and Matthew realised the Untouchables had started to enter the homes of the Knights. Thankfully, there were no sounds of gunshots, which indicated that the Knights were capitulating, as planned. He saw a few Knights being led to the town hall by at least two Untouchables, guns pointed at their backs, arms locked at their sides. He, Josh and Eden could easily take out these Untouchables. And so they did, with the assistance of the Knights who had been “captured”. They tied up the Untouchables and locked them in the basement, where they had found Noah. However, they had to sedate them first, because these Untouchables seemed too strong and liable to break free of their ropes. The Knights now had access to the weapons which the Untouchables had carried, but were loath to use them.

When Matthew emerged from the basement, he handed Eden a handgun which he had taken from one of the Untouchables. Eden looked at him in confusion.

“Take it,” Matthew ordered, “and use it if you have to.”

“Matthew, I don’t know. I’ve never taken a life before,” Eden said, reluctant to take the weapon.

“I know,” Matthew acknowledged, “but these are extraordinary circumstances and we will be required to fight back in order to save our town and our people. It would be much easier if we fought on a level battlefield. The Zolfars have already said that some of the Untouchables are possibly on drugs. We have no option here, Eden. Even Father has accepted that.”

Eden pocketed the handgun, willing herself to only use it if necessary. Gabe and the Council had agreed to protect the town at all costs, but to limit the number of deaths. The aim was to capture the Untouchables and clean them of their abilities and memories, as should have happened when they first left Knight town. This time, Gabe would oversee the cleaning himself.

However, they would need to take down more Untouchables than they had anticipated, including Seth, who was very knowledgeable about the town. And Matthew was concerned about the unknown Zeke who posed a threat that his father did not want to define, but which might impact Eden. Should he tell her?

“Hey, Eden,” Matthew whispered as they again took their positions close to the town hall. Eden turned, looking at her big brother. “There’s something you need to know.” He told her about the request from their father to protect both her and Kyra, with more emphasis on Eden’s safety. He also told her that he suspected that this Zeke who had helped Seth orchestrate the invasion of the Hunters’ compound and Knight town might be more than just a former disgruntled Hunter, considering that none of the Young Hunters had heard of him. The fact that their father seemed to know him as well, suggested that whatever had happened to Zeke the Hunter had also involved the Knights.

“I don’t even know what he looks like,” Eden said. “Do you?”

Matthew shook his head. “No, but Father says that he’ll take care of Zeke. Apparently neither Zeke nor Seth went into the Hunters’ compound.”

“And yet, they both entered Knight town. Why?” Eden thought out aloud.

“Because what they have truly wanted all along, is in Knight town!” Matthew realised. “Invading the Hunters’ compound was just to show us how brazen they could be. They didn’t really expect to defeat the Hunters.”

Listening to her brother, Eden knew that he had read the situation correctly. Matthew often did. Now they had to find out exactly what Seth and Zeke so desperately wanted in Knight town.

Jude went back home to check on his wife. Ava would know that they were alright, but he needed a few minutes with her to explain what they had to do next and whether she supported that. Ava’s support, guidance and instinct had been invaluable to him and the Hunters since their marriage. Now, he needed to do something that hadn’t been done in his lifetime, but he knew that the future of their existence depended on it.

He found Ava with Grace, who was now resting comfortably. Ava exited the bedroom, eager for news on the safety of the compound. Jude hugged his wife, enquired about Grace’s health and then updated Ava on the invasion by the Untouchables. She would soon be required to assist with the casualties, although none were too severe.

Jude wasn’t surprised when Ava readily supported his unprecedented plan. It already had the support of the many elders in the compound and Ethan, but executing it might place the compound at risk if their intel on the Untouchables was incorrect. Although Ethan was certain that they could handle another attack using only half the Hunters, Jude didn’t want to risk his people’s lives. None of the Seers foresaw the return of the Untouchables.

Ava knew that her husband was conflicted about his plan but she also knew, beyond a doubt, that no further harm would come to their compound in the near future and that what he had to do now, was actually the right thing. So, she had no compunction to allow him to do what was necessary, knowing that he would shortly return. She hugged him with all the love that she felt for him, feeling it returned to her in his embrace. He gently cupped her face, placed a kiss on her lips and pulled her in for one final hug before he took his leave.

Jude looked back at his home as he walked away. He would be back soon.

Gabe landed a punch on one of the Untouchables who had made his way into Noah’s home. Fortunately, the Untouchable hadn’t been armed, Gabe thought, knowing that many of the Knights in the town were facing heavily armed Untouchables. He had warned his people though not to take on the armed Untouchables on their own and to surrender first. So far, it had worked and no Knight had been killed since the Untouchables had worked their way into Knight town.

There had been no sighting of either Seth or Zeke since they passed the gates of the town. This worried Gabe, but he hoped that the Zolfars were with them, keeping guard of their movements. Seth’s plans to clean the abilities of the Knights sickened him, but his suspicions of Zeke’s plans struck an arrow of fear through his heart. He constantly tried to sense whether his children were safe, knew that they were still together and unhurt. Kyra was with Nate, controlling all communications within Knight town, trying to prevent the Untouchables from reaching out to more of their kind, whilst also keeping an eye on Noah, should Seth target him.

Once the Untouchables were led into the town, Peter had secured the gates and allowed a few of the Guardians to venture into town to play their roles in defending the Knights against their foe. The killing of the Guardians at the hands of Seth and Jeb when they had staged Noah’s “escape”, was still fresh on their minds. They would not hesitate to use whatever weapons were at their disposal, to protect the town.

Gabe followed a few more Untouchables who were forcing out Knights from their homes. He could see that that they were heading towards the town hall, where he knew that most of his children and a few other Knights lay in wait. He was surprised to see the number of Untouchables emerging from various homes. A few Knights seemed to have put up a fight and there were bruises all around. However, given the weapons that the Untouchables carried, he began to worry that the Knights might just be outgunned!

Eden’s head hurt, but she landed on her feet quickly to ensure that she got in a quick kick to the Untouchable’s knee. He stumbled, but he was strong and reached for her again. She evaded him, punching him in his ribs several times until he fell down again. He didn’t seem in a hurry to get up this time.

“Need some help?” someone asked and Eden’s head whipped around in shock. It couldn’t be! No, she was not seeing things. Becca stood close to her, Caleb and Eli not too far behind. How did the Hunters overcome the Guardians at the gate?