"Quickly, head for the fields!" A hooded man gestured urgently at his three companions. As he looked back at the dark road, he gritted his teeth.
They're catching up on us.
The man grabbed one of his companions by the shoulder while the others ran ahead. "Guide them to the bunker," he whispered while handing the keys to his companion, who was a woman in her thirties and heavily pregnant. "Chase will be there waiting. I'll be right behind you."
"Andrew, no! You know you can't do this on your own!" she objected anxiously. Andrew, as the man was called, planted a quick kiss on her forehead and caressed her baby bump. "We'll see each other soon, Grace, don't worry. Now, go!" As he pushed her away gently, a surge of energy sent the woman in the opposite direction from where he was by twenty feet.
I need to survive this. For my family and every individual out there who is like us.
Andrew repeated those words in his mind countless times. This was the only way he could ensure the safety of his family and friends, as well as the legacy of their ancestors.
Out in the darkness, he could hear his enemies shouting at each other.
"I see him! Let the hounds go!" One of them yelled.
Andrew took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It's now or never.
With a hushed voice, he thrust his hands towards his enemies and murmured a string of words. Immediately, a brilliant flash of light seared through the air, engulfing the darkness. The ground beneath Andrew's feet shook, and in the distance, he could hear screams for help coming from his enemies.
Then—all at once—the light vanished. What followed was a silence that was deafening.
*
When Andrew reached the bunker, Grace ran towards him and hugged him like her life depended on it. Andrew reciprocated and sighed in relief. After running from their pursuers for weeks, they were finally safe.
"Andrew," one of his companions called out to him, "thank you. If it weren't for you, my wife and son wouldn't have been here."
"I'm just glad everyone is safe. Get some rest, Jonathan."
Jonathan hugged Andrew and motioned for his wife and son to thank him. "Joseph, c'mere. What should you say to the man who saved your life?" A four-year-old boy with green eyes hid behind his mother and timidly expressed his gratitude. Andrew chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair.
As his friend retired to bed, Andrew sat in the corner of the room and held his face in his hands.
How did it come to this?
"What are we going to do now, Andrew?" Grace sat down beside him and leaned her head against his shoulder.
He remained silent for a while. In his mind, he had run through every possible solution that might be viable to them. At the end of the day, only one was the safest option. It would be difficult, but it'll have to do.
"We start fresh. New identities, new life, new home."
"And our child?"
Andrew pursed his lips. His child will probably be like him and Grace. After all, the same blood runs through their veins.
"We prepare him. And he will prepare his children, and their children after them, until the war has been won."