Jenni’s POV   

The wind howled across the desert that we called home, stirring the dust and sand. I sat on the roof of the ghost town church, watching the horizon. The sun was beginning to rise, signaling the morning. In the far distance, I could see the faint reflection of light off of the metallic building of F.E.A.R. The building looked like it was no bigger than a grain of sand from this distance. Funny how something that looked so small caused so much despair and destruction, even way out here. I shuddered, remembering the nightmare that caused me to climb up here.

Flashback

I was standing inside of F.E.A.R. watching a girl dressed in a ripped black sleeveless shirt and shorts. Her entire body was covered in black paint; her dark hair was matted with it. She wore a mask I recognized as the mask of the Legion of the Black. She was sneaking through dark hallways towards a door with the carving of a coiling snake: the Matriarch.

What is she doing? I thought as my dream self followed her, Going to the room of the Matriarch is suicide.

The girl gently pushed open the door and went inside. I was transported into the room the girl went in, facing the door as she walked in. She looked around before coming in the room completely, checking for the Shadow soldiers no doubt. She walked silently towards something behind me. I turned to see a locked box on a pedestal.

Odd, I thought, why would the Matriarch have something like that on a pedestal?

The girl pulled out something that looked like hair pins and walked up to the box. She stuck the lock picks into the lock and jiggled them around a bit. The lock clicked open after a minute and the girl made a quiet noise of victory. She opened the box to reveal a rosary. Not just any rosary; the rosary of the Wild Ones. An upside down five point star with little half circles along each edge tied to a tattered piece of braided leather.

So that’s why she came here. She wanted to get their rosary back.

Dread filled my entire being. If the Matriarch had that, that meant that F.E.A.R. had killed one of the Wild Ones prior to the five current ones. Not an easy task, considering that they’re direct descendants of the Fallen Angels. The girl grabbed the rosary, shut the lid of the box and headed back the way she came. She slowly closed the door behind her and quickly walked down the dark hallways. I could feel her panic and need to hurry. She saw a faint light in front of her and ran towards it but she faltered, seeing someone she knew in a cage. The person in the cage recognized her and his eyes widened in horror.

“What are you doing here?” he whispered.

The girl’s eyes filled with tears as she knelt on the ground next to his cage.

“Getting this,” she whispered back, showing the rosary to him.

His eyes widened, “Go! Get out of here and get that to the others. Run!”

He pushed her away and gestured for her to leave. The girl slowly got up and choked back a sob as she turned to head for the door. She looked back at her caged friend for a moment then she turned and bolted for the door, the rosary clutched in her hand. She reached the door and ran out into the light. The sudden change in lighting caused her to stumble and slow down a bit. I watched as a Shadow soldier materialized behind her just as she glanced over her shoulder. She screamed and ran faster, ignoring the searing desert ground beneath her bare feet. I could only watch, helpless as this girl ran for her life away from a monster straight out of nightmares.

“PROPHET!” she screamed, her voice carrying across the desert.

I jolted awake, gasping as I sat up in my bed in the basement of an abandoned church. I bolted out of bed and ran up the stairs to the outside world. The cool early morning air felt good on my slightly fevered skin as I took a deep breath to calm my racing pulse. I climbed the ladder up to the roof of the church and sat against the steeple and watched the sky become lighter as dawn approached.

End Flashback

I took a deep breath and watched as the sun peeked over the horizon. I remembered what my mother told me years ago. She told me that I was the descendant of a Fallen Angel, the one known as the Oracle and that I was the new Oracle. I had inherited her abilities to see the future, to destroy the Shadow soldiers and many other abilities.

I heard someone climb up the ladder and I turned to see Matt, one of the Rebels that followed me to this ghost town. I gave him a small smile.

“Morning,” I greeted, “What are you doing up so early?"

“I could ask you the same, Oracle,” he said as he sat down next to me, “I saw you run out of the basement like the devil was on your heels.”

I sighed and put my head on my knees, “I just had a nightmare, that’s all.”

Matt shifted nervously, “Was it another vision?”

“Maybe. I don’t know, Matt. It felt different this time around,” I said as I shrugged, “You worry too much.”

Matt’s eyes widened in shock, “How can I not? Your visions always have to do with something bad and they always lead to the death of someone among the Rebels here.”

He gestured to the town. A few people were coming out of the buildings around the church. Young adults, teens really, and a few older people. After the sun rose fully, the younger kids would be allowed out. My rule was that no child under the age of 14 was allowed to be outside after sunset or before sunrise. F.E.A.R.’s Shadows never attacked during the day, at least to my memory.

I shook my head, “Not always, Matt. Like I said, it felt different this time. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

I stood up and climbed down the ladder, ignoring Matt’s protests. A young girl with curly black hair saw me and a smile lit up her face.

“Oracle!” she shouted happily as she ran towards me.

I smiled, “Hey, Mara. What are you doing out so early?”

“I’m 14 now,” she said cheerfully, “It’s my birthday today!”

“Oh yeah! It is, isn’t it? I can’t believe I forgot.”

She giggled, “Its O.K. You’ve got more things to worry about then trying to remember everyone’s birthday.”

“That’s true,” I agreed, “Happy Birthday, Mara.”

Mara smiled, “Thanks, Oracle.”

She ran off to an older woman, her mother I think. I walked back down the stairs into the church’s basement to my bed and picked up the black leather jacket draped on the foot of it. I ran my fingers over the name stitched in white on the back: ORACLE. The name has been passed down for generations to the descendants of the first Oracle, the Fallen Angel. I inherited the name the moment I was born. I have my own name, but no one calls me by it anymore, not since I became the leader of these Rebels. I’ve been leading them since I was 12. I just turned 18. I’m an 18 year old leader of Rebels and the thought still terrifies me. Over half of the Rebels that follow me are older than me.

I placed my jacket back on my bed and grabbed one of my black headbands and tied it on. I picked up my black leather boots and zipped them up and pulled the hems of my ripped black jeans down over them. I pulled my bangs down over my face and brushed them to the side as I reached for my jacket again and pulled it on. I glanced at the cracked mirror that sat in the corner, seeing my refection stare back at me. My face was slightly smudged with dust from the roof and my golden brown hair looked like a rat’s nest. Sighing, I grabbed my hair brush and pulled it through my hair, taming the tangled mess.

“There,” I whispered, “That’s much better.”

I looked back at the mirror and rubbed away the dark dust smudges on my face. I stopped when I noticed the dark coils at the outside corners of my eyes had darkened again. Each of them was unique; the coils on my right eye only went out to my temples while the coils on my left eye had one coil curl down to my cheek bone. I got these marks when I was 7 years old, right when my powers stared emerging. They started out very pale grey, but over the last 11 years, they’ve darkened. Now they were completely black. My mother told me just before she disappeared that when my marks turned black, I had to find the others. She also told me that I would start having more waking visions, meaning I would have visions when I’m awake.

“Why now?” I asked my reflection. No answer.

I’ve had waking visions before and I have two words to say about them: Not. Fun. They are painful, terrifying and far more vivid then the dream visions I grew up knowing. I turned away from the mirror and headed back for the stairs, turning off the lights that I turned on when I walked in. When I stepped outside, I saw that the younger kids were starting to come out of the cellars and basements of the town’s buildings. Underground is the only place that we can truly hide from the Shadow soldiers. The younger children were precious to us, so the rule makes sure that all kids under the age of 14 are underground before the sun sets and that they stay there until well after sun up. F.E.A.R. wants the younger children more then they want the older Rebels because young children are easier to influence than the older ones. Kids also start combat training when they’re 7 to 9 years of age and they are allowed to help with raids of F.E.A.R.’s headquarters when they’re 15.

“Oracle!” an older voice called out to me.

I tuned to see Richell, our healer and a friend of mine, running up to me.

“Hey, Shelly,” I called back, “What’s up?”

She slowed to a stop in front of me. She had dark blond hair and moss green eyes. She was wearing a ripped dark grey T-shirt and holey black pants.

“I’m running out of aloe to treat Simon’s burns,” she explained, “And will you stop calling me ‘Shelly?’”

I rolled my eyes, “Only when you stop calling me ‘Oracle’ when we’re alone. We’ve been friends since forever and I hate that my friend doesn’t call me by my real name.”

Richell gave me an apologetic smile, “I’m sorry, Jenni. It’s just that it seems disrespectful somehow.”

“It’s not disrespectful in my opinion, Richell.”

“O.K. So, about the supply of aloe. I’m on the last 2 stems and Simon’s burns are still severe,” she told me, getting back on topic, “I was low from the start, but he getting hurt has caused me to blow through my supply.”

I nodded, “Alright. I’ll go out and get some more. How much do you think you need?”

“A whole sack would be nice,” she said, cheerfully, “It’s always good to have a surplus.”

I smiled, “True. I’ll bring Robin with me, then.”

Richell started laughing, “Oh, she’ll take out any Shadow in a heartbeat. That’s only if they’re stupid enough to show their faces when she’s around.”

“That’s why I’m bringing her with me.”

I turned to go when Richell called after me, “Be sure to be back before sundown this time! Knowing the two of you, you’ll be out all day!”

I laughed, “No shit, Sherlock!”

She giggled and headed back to the house that acted as our infirmary. Simon, the young man that Richell is caring for, was her assistant and was badly burned in a gas explosion at our last hide out. He has bad burns all over his back. The aloe plant reduces the pain and helps in the healing process.

I headed for the abandoned bar where I knew Robin was staying. In every single deserted town or city we’ve stayed in, she always found the place where they stored the booze. How she does it, I will never know. I walked up to the cellar door and slammed my foot on it a few times.

“Yo! Robin!” I shouted, “Wakey, wakey!”

Down in the cellar, I heard a loud thud.

“Ow!” a muffled groan of pain from Robin’s boyfriend.

“Sorry, babe!” Robin’s voice.

I heard some shuffling footsteps and then stomping foot falls coming up the stairs. I stepped back just as the door slammed open. Robin stood there leaning against the door frame. Her bright red hair was a tangled mess.

“What the fuck do you want, Jenni?” she demanded.

I smiled a bit. Robin was the only person who called me by my name. She calls me Oracle in public, but when it’s just us and her boyfriend, she calls me Jenni.

“I need you to come with me to get more aloe plants for Richell,” I told her, “She’s almost out."

Robin rubbed her eyes, “Could you have at least knocked quieter? You made me fall out of bed,” she complained.

I looked around her to see her boyfriend sitting on their mattress .His long dark hair was tousled and he was rubbing his arm. He smiled and waved at me and I waved back before turning my attention back to Robin.

“You mean you fell off the bar and landed on Marshal?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at her.

She gave me a look that said “Shut the hell up” and she shifted her weight, “You could still knock quieter,” she mumbled.

I snorted, “If I knock quietly, you’ll never wake up. With how you sleep after a night of drinking, I have to knock loud.”

She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and sighed, “Fair point. Give me a few minutes”

“Alright. I’ll meet you at the back fence.”

“See ya there.”

I walked away as she closed the door. I headed towards the edge of town towards the rocky hills behind it. It was in the opposite direction of F.E.A.R.’s headquarters, but Shadow soldiers have been seen there before. Those hills have a few underground springs that feed the town’s water supply and kept green patches full of herbs and medicinal plants.

I stopped in front of Richell’s place and picked up the burlap sack she left on the porch. I slung it over my shoulder and headed for the big oak tree by the back fence. I leaned against the trunk and looked out into the rocky hills. I remembered that the first time I ever saw a Shadow soldier was up in hills very similar to these, close to my birth place. It didn’t see me since I hid among the rocks, but I definitely saw it. Dressed entirely in black, it literally radiated darkness. Dark coils of smoke looking shadow rippled off the cloak. The thing sucked in light and that made it look even more intimidating. Its mask was like something straight out of a nightmare. I was only 8 at the time. I’ve never forgotten the fear I felt that day.

I’ve seen Shadows since then and I’ve fought them, too. The best time to fight them is during the middle of the day when they’re weakest and the best way to kill them is by smashing their masks.

I heard footsteps behind me and I turned to see Robin walking up. Her bright red hair was brushed and she was wearing her black denim vest over her black tank top. On her belt, she wore her short sword and hunting knife.

I smiled, “I doubt you’re gonna need the sword, Robin,” I teased, “You’re only picking plants.”

Robin looked at me as if I was stupid, “Seriously, Jenni? A Shadow could be lurking up there."

I laughed, “Only a stupid one would dare show its face if you’re anywhere near it.”

Robin smiled, “And if it’s that stupid, it doesn’t deserve to live.”

She pulled out her hunting knife and twirled it a few times before sheathing it again. We walked up to the fence and ducked through it. After picking our way up the hill, we walked side by side. We were silent for a while and then Robin looked over to me.

“I see your marks darkened again,” she said in a laid back tone.

My breath caught in my throat. Robin was the only one I told what my mother told me about them. I could only nod in response.

She sighed, “When do you have to go to them?”

I shook my head, “I don’t know. I honestly don’t. I wish I asked more questions when Mom was here.”

“Yeah, but you couldn’t have know she would vanish like that.”

“I know, but…” I trailed off, sighing, “I just wish I knew more. I don’t even know where to start looking for the others.”

“Don’t you know where their hideouts are?” Robin asked, cocking her head to the side.

“No. Plus they have multiple and they move between them like we do with ours.”

She nodded, “True. Can you feel which one they might be in, though?”

I shrugged, “Not really. I can feel that they’re alive, but other than that, nope."

Robin looked like she was satisfied by that answer. I’ve always felt the presence of the other Wild Ones, like a nagging at the back of my mind. We reached one of the green patches within the next half hour. We both knelt next to the little pool of fresh water and drank the crisp, cool water. When I stood up, I saw a large aloe plant growing in a rocky cleft. I looked around and saw a whole lot of aloe plants, all of them large with fat stems.

“Jack pot!” I whispered, “We’re gonna be set for a while.”

Robin looked up and her dark brown eyes widened, “Holy Crap! That’s a lot of future green goo.”

I burst out laughing. Only Robin could come up with that. She looked at me and spread her arms.

“What?! I’m only stating the obvious."

“I know,” I said, still giggling, “It just sounds funny.”

Robin rolled her eyes and shook her head, a small smile on her lips. She stood up and walked over to the closest aloe plant, looking it over.

“Which stems do we pick?” she asked.

“The ones along the outside of it,” I walked over to her and pointed to the biggest stems, “They’re the fattest. Careful of the spines, though. The aloe plant is in the same family as the cactus for a reason.”

Robin nodded and bent the stem and snapped it at the base. I started on the plant next to hers and we picked the fattest of the stems, putting them in the burlap sack. We picked in silence, both of us keeping an ear open for Shadows. It was a few minutes before we started talking again.

“How are things with Marshal?” I asked, trying to start a conversation.

Robin smiled, “It’s great. He’s like my life line sometimes. You know, when I’m in one of my moods, he just holds me until I calm down.”

I laughed a little, “Well, he loves you. What did you expect? Something different?”

Robin pretended to think, “Hmm… Let me think about that one,” She paused, “Nope! Can’t think of anything.”

I laughed until a stabbing pain shot through my head. I cried out and pressed my hands to my head, trying to push out the pain. I felt Robin grab me as I doubled over in pain. I couldn’t hear her, even though I could see her mouth moving. My vision started going dark. Then, I couldn’t see anything.

Suddenly, I could see light and the scenery changed. Images started flashing into my head. A Shadow soldier chasing a girl wearing the Legion’s mask, then the girl running with the Rosary of the Wild Ones clutched in her hand. I felt the terror that filled that girl’s entire being as she screamed for help. The girl was getting tired and she was running out of breath. She turned around and held the rosary out in front of her like a shield. The Shadow soldier skidded to a stop in front of her, wary of the rosary in her hand.

The girl panted heavily as she backed away, still holding the rosary between her and the Shadow. The Shadow kept its distance. The girl continued to back away, but she tripped over a stone and fell to the ground. The Shadow advanced to her but didn’t attack, still being repelled by the power of the rosary. The girl started to crawl back while she faced the Shadow. The Shadow lunged towards her, but she held up the rosary again. The soldier faltered, but it swung its staff and knocked the rosary out of her hand.

The girl froze, unable to move out of terror. The Shadow flipped its staff so the pointed tip faced her and it plunged it into her chest. She screamed in pain, her voice carrying over the desert. The Shadow vanished, leaving her to bleed, to die. She was crying as she lay there, reaching for the rosary weakly.

“I’m sorry, Prophet,” she whispered as she closed her hand around the rosary, “I tried.”

I felt tears prick my eyes as I watched her die. The vision changed to a tall young man dressed in black. He wore a black leather jacket with only one sleeve, leaving his left arm bare. He had a long black scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, no shirt, and tight black jeans with holes in the knees. He had on at least two silver studded belts with tassels attached to one of them so they hung down around his legs. He had long, jet black hair that was cut so the top was longer then the sides. The top of his hair was brushed over the right side of his face.

When I looked at his face, I noticed a black mark under his left eye, following his cheek bone. His eyes were an unusual shade of blue, like the blue on the inside of a glacier. He had a nose ring on the right side of his nose and a lip ring on his lower left lip. He also had an earring of a gold cross in his left ear.

He was walking towards a black object lying on the ground. His blue eyes were sad as he looked down at the object. Then I realized it wasn’t even an object. It was the girl I just saw die. He was looking at her masked face as he crouched down next to her, touching the side of her face with his gloved hand. He took the rosary out of her hand and put it in his jacket pocket. He then slipped his arms under her, his left under her shoulders and his right under her legs. He picked her up and carried her bridal style, her body hanging limply in his arms.

My vision changed again to see the abandoned oil fields and the young man walking towards them, the dead masked girl in his arms. Then my vision went dark.

___________________________________________________

“Jenni! Jenni, it’s okay!”

I could suddenly see the green patch around me and I could hear Robin’s voice trying to calm me down. I was crouched in a ball, my head between my legs and my arms wrapped around my chest. My head was pounding and my eyes were wet with tears. My entire body felt weak. I blinked and looked over at Robin. Her face was pale.

“Oh, thank Satan!” she exclaimed in relief, “You had me worried.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

Robin looked at me, worry still written on her face, “I’ve seen you have waking visions before but nothing like that. Your eyes were completely blank and you were rocking back and forth, whimpering.”

I rubbed sore eyes then looked at her, “How long was I out of it?”

She shrugged, “I’m not sure. Less than five minutes, though. What the hell did you see, Jenni?”

I shuddered involuntarily, “A girl from the Legion. I saw her get killed by a Shadow. It was the same girl from the vision I had last night.”

Robin’s eyes widened, “Why didn’t you tell me? Wait! Don’t answer that. You’ve never had visions linked like that before.”

I nodded slowly, “Yeah, I know. In the vision last night, I saw her break into F.E.A.R. headquarters.”

“That’s suicide if you’re alone.”

“I think she knows that,” I said, my voice cracking slightly, “She gets in, gets into the room of the Matriarch, steals back the Rosary of the Wild Ones, and gets out of the building. She gets killed outside.”

Robin gasped, “The Rosary of the Wild Ones? That went missing generations ago, or so I hear. The Matriarch had it all this time?”

I nodded, “She’s gonna get it back. Today I think.”

“Oh no,” Robin whispered, “We won’t get there in time to help. F.E.A.R. is at least a day and a half way on foot.”

I shook my head sadly, “No, we won’t.”

“Did you see anything else?” Robin asked.

“Yeah. I’m not positive, but I think I saw the Prophet.”

“What?! Are you sure?”

I shrugged, “I don’t know. The girl in my vision cried out for the Prophet and the young man I saw had a black mark under his left eye. He was wearing the black leather jacket of a Wild One as well.”

Robin thought for a moment, “Did you see the name on the back of his jacket?”

I shook my head, “No. But I did see where he was headed."

“Where?” she asked, her eyes curious.

“The old oil fields down in the valley. I saw the old pumps in the distance. It might not be a hideout but it’s a place to start looking.”

“That’s close. Just a day’s hike away.”

I nodded, “Yeah, I know. Less if I’m riding Saint.”

Saint is my horse, a birthday present from my mother when I turned 8. He’s been with me for 10 years and as loyal as they come. He’s mostly used as a pack horse but when I do use him for riding, which is often, his gaits are smooth and he responds to the slightest signal. My sweet black and white paint horse would run all day if I asked him to.

Robin shook her head, “You’re crazy if you think I’m letting you go without me. As much as I love your horse, I don’t ride. You’re not going alone Jenni. I’m going with you whether you like it or not.”

“Robin…” I sighed, “The death of this girl is could trigger the war with F.E.A.R. I can feel it.”

“I know,” She said, standing up, “It doesn’t take being the Oracle to see it coming. It’s been a matter of time for centuries. Also, we’ve been in a war since F.E.A.R. rose to power. Wait, scratch that. Ever since the Matriarch decided to try to take over the world we’ve been in this war.”

She held out her hand to help me up and pulled me to my feet. I wobbled a little, but she steadied me.

I sighed, “The Matriarch has been behind the rise of every oppressive organization since the end of the First War, Robin. BL/ind was one of them. She’s immortal, remember?”

Robin sighed, “I remember."

She picked up the half full burlap sack and put her arm around me, helping me walk since I was still really shaky. Every time I had a waking vision, my body got really weak. I don’t know why, it just does. Robin was there when I had my first waking vision when we were 15. We both freaked, me more than her, but she helped me through it. I stumbled a few times down the hill, but by the time we reached town I was strong enough to walk on my own.

Robin glanced at me, “What do you want me to tell everybody?”

I shook my head, “Don’t worry about that. I’ll do it,” I pointed at the bag in her hand, “Take those to Richell and ask her to prepare a first aid kit.”

Robin nodded, “Do you want me to ask Elane to prepare some food for our trip?”

I nodded, “Yeah. I guess there’s no trying to convince you to stay behind, is there?”

She smiled, “Nope!”

I headed for the center of town as she ran to Richell’s. I ran into Matt on the way.

“Matt! Come here for a sec!” I called out to him.

He ran up to me and raised his eyebrows, “What’s up?”

“I need you to go to the stable and prepare sacks of grain and hay. Enough for two horses for a few days.”

He looked confused, “OK… Why?”

“I’ll explain later,” I said as I tried to rub the exhaustion from my face, “Just do it please?”

He nodded, “OK, Oracle. Water sacks too I take it?”

“Yes. Thank you, Matt.”

He ran off towards the old stable where Saint and the three mules were housed. When moving almost 40 people from town to town, having a wagon and pack mules made carrying out food and supplies easier. I trusted Matt around the stable. I knew he knows what to pack and how much.

I walked to the raised gazebo in the center of town slowly, giving myself time to think about what I’m going to say to everyone. I just know that they are going to want to come, but I can’t risk bringing our best fighters. They have to stay and protect everyone else. I groaned inwardly as I braced for the objections as I climbed up the stairs of the gazebo.

When I reached the bell, I took a deep breath and rang it three times and repeated the sequence twice more.

The bell’s deep ring echoed through town. Everyone started filing into the area below the gazebo; little kids, pre-teens, teens, young adults, and the older adults. After a few minutes, everybody was in the town’s square, save for Robin, Matt, Elane, Richell and Simon. Simon was still bedridden, Matt was in the stable and Richell and Elane were most likely doing what Robin asked them to. Robin was probably helping Elane.

I saw Robin’s boyfriend push to the front of the crowd and smiled at me. I smiled back. Robin and Marshal were total opposites when it came to their style. Robin always tried to stand out with her bright red hair and badass personality while Marshal tried to blend in a little more. Today he was wearing faded black jeans, a ripped black t-shirt, and a pair of dusty grey converse. I took a deep breath and looked out at the Rebels in front of me.

“I know you’re wondering why I called you out here,” I started, “I had a vision last night and early this morning and…”

I was cut off by the Rebels talking and murmuring to each other. I cleared my throat and waited for the talking to quiet.

“As I was saying,” I said slowly, “I had a vision and I saw something that I need to check out. I thought I should tell you that I think I may have found one of the other Wild Ones.”

Everyone’s eyes widened at that. Marshal was the first to recover.

“Which one?” he asked, “And where?”

“I’m not sure which one but I think it might be the Prophet,” I answered, “But I’m not positive.”

Everyone gasped and started talking at once, asking me questions like ‘What do they look like?’ or ‘Where are they?’ or ‘When do we leave?’

I took a deep breath and shouted, “QUIET!”

They promptly shut up.

“Thank you,” I said, lowering my voice, “Now, before you all go ape shit on me, I’m telling you right now that you’re not coming with me. I don’t know if the place I saw in my vision is where the Prophet is. I don’t want us to go all that way for nothing.”

Lots of groaning, “Why not, Oracle?” one boy asked.

I looked at him, “Because I don’t want it to be a wasted trip. I only saw where a hideout could be. And the young man I saw might not even be the Prophet. So, I’m going to go check it out and make sure.”

“You’re crazy if you think we’ll let you go alone, Oracle,” one of the older men called out.

“I’m not going alone,” I replied calmly, “Robin’s coming with me and she’s one of our best fighters. Any Shadow stupid enough to show its face won’t last long.”

Everyone chuckled. Everybody knew how Robin was when fighting F.E.A.R.’s Shadow Soldiers. I noticed Marshal had left the square. I couldn’t see him anymore. I dismissed the crowd, telling them I’d send word if I did find any of the Wild Ones. I ran to my room in the church basement and grabbed my duffle bag and started stuffing shirts, pants, undergarments and other essentials into it.

Well, Mom, I thought as I packed, It’s starting, just like you said it would. The war is going to be reignited.