Take Back the Light

Chapter 12

"Pronto, what do you know about the place?" Eli asked, panting and wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Oh, you will never find a more foul and wretched establishment!" Pronto exclaimed. "Although the soup is pretty good. Also, it is a dead end."

"That's what I wanted to hear," Eli said with a smirk. "Everyone wait here. I'll go in and flush him out."

Alana nodded and gave him the thumbs up, taking the moment to tighten up her ponytail and stretch out her arms as Eli walked inside the restaurant. The door shut behind him, and Pronto rocked back and forth of his heels, whistling impatiently. Alana and Kord glanced at each other, confused. How long did it take to chase out one guy?

"Perhaps he is trying the soup?" Pronto suggested.

"I don't think-" Alana began, but was cut off when the door to the restaurant slammed open with such force, Alana was surprised it didn't fly off its hinges. Eli sprinted out of the restaurant, shaking his head as he tore down the streets.

"Go, go, go!" he yelled, his eyes wide with panic. Alana and the others followed without hesitation, running down the street after him. Alana stole a glance behind her shoulder and groaned as she saw at least a dozen uniformed Blakk Industries workers streaming out of the restaurant, following by a tall, bulky, purple figure with angry red eyes. He let out an angry yell that echoed down the streets.

"Options, Eli?" Trixie called out, ducking as a ghoul flew by just over her head.

"Working on it!" Eli responded, taking a sharp right down one of the city's many alleys. He came to a screeching halt as he saw that halfway down the alley, there was a pile of metal pipes and drywall.

"That's a problem," Alana gasped, looking back at the entrance of the alley. She could feel the footsteps of the dozen workers and their leader on the ground- they weren't getting out the way they came.

Before she could suggest anything else, the large panel of drywall behind the pipes slid aside. A teenage boy ducked down so he was visible through the opening in the pipes. He had golden hair, tan skin, and green-teal eyes, and wore a gray and white shirt, brown vest, and dark pants. He glanced back at the entrance of the alleyway, where the sounds of Blakk's workers was getting louder.

"Follow me if you wanna live," he said grimly, nodding his head before stepping away from the entrance.

Eli turned and looked at the gang with wide eyes, glancing back at the alley entrance. One of the workers rounded the corner and spotted the gang, calling out to the others. Alana shrugged.

"Random kid seems better than a Blakk Industries mini-militia," she said. Eli frowned uncertainly, turning back to face the boy when the purple creature rounded the corner into the alley, growling menacingly. The blond boy's eyes widened when he saw how many workers were chasing the gang.

"This way," he said, taking a step back and gesturing through the hole he'd made.

Eli sighed and dove through the hole, Alana following behind him. Trixie jumped through, then Pronto, who was definitely the most horizontal to try and make it through, getting stuck between the pipes.

"Bah! This pipe has ruined my timing and trajectory!" he exclaimed. Alana snickered as she heard Kord groan from the other side of the pipes. Pronto suddenly shot forward, kicked out of the hole by Kord, who yanked some of the pipes aside before leaping through.

Pronto spun around, grabbing his blaster and firing a Rammstone at the pipes, temporarily blocking Blakk's men.

"Insolent pipes! That is what you get for impeding the progress of Pronto!" Pronto said. Alana rolled her eyes and smiled as she ran alongside Eli.