Chapter 78. Got To Get Home

Levi

We made it into the house with no trouble, which is a little surprising. I stayed behind Joseph and watched behind us. The house is large. It is probably bigger than my house. What is weird is it seems too empty. Where are the hundred or more people that he has here? We slip down a passage that I am assuming leads to the basement. I still don't see anyone, and something really seems off.

"This way," Joseph says and heads down another hallway. I catch dad's scent, so I know they are here. Why is no one else here? We get to the end, and there is a massive door. We both put our ears to the door and listened, but I didn't hear anything. Joseph holds his fingers up to count till three, then we both push on the door to open it. I almost got sick at what I saw. Dad is strapped to the wall with silver cuffs around his wrist and ankles. There is a silver collar around his neck. I didn't hear him because they had him gagged. Emma is attached to the wall beside him in the same condition. What almost made me sick was all the children in here. There are at least Twenty more kids here. They all look dirty and like they have not eaten in weeks. They all are huddled together and on the opposite side of the large room than dad and Emma.

Joseph goes toward the kids, so I head toward dad and Emma. Dad lifts his head slowly like it hurts and looks at me. When he sees me, he starts to make a sound and shake his head. I can't remove the straps holding him because they are silver. I look over at Emma, but she is not looking at me.

"Hold on, dad, we are going to get you out of here." I move over to Emma and place my hand on her cheek. She is breathing but is unconscious.

"Joseph... didn't the guys in the forest say that guys were on prisoner duty and Emma was rowdy?" I ask Joseph.

"Yeah," He says, looking at me, and I know we are both thinking the same thing. Just then, Chase pops up in front of us. He looks around and takes in everything.

"Luca has the other kids at a meeting place we need to go to as soon as possible," Chase says.

"I can't get the straps off them. They are made of silver." I tell him. As soon as I tell him, he makes his way over to me. "We need to get Emma down first. She is unconscious." I move over, and he starts to remove the straps. At least he doesn't have to worry about silver. When he gets her neck and arms unstrapped, she goes to fall forward, so I catch her and hold her while he gets her ankles unstrapped. When he is finished, I lay her down on the floor. I then step over to my dad with him to help. He doesn't seem to be as bad as Emma, so Chase unstraps his ankles first. He is able to stand, so I don't have to hold him up like Emma. Chase removes the gag and throws it to the other side of the room.

"You have to get back now," Dad says, almost screaming, but he is hoarse from the gag.

"Dad...Calm down, we have to get these kids and the ones outside together, then we are going."

"You don't understand. Barrett used us to draw you all out. He is headed for Raine." As soon as the words leave his mouth, it hits me in the chest. That is why there is no one here. They have all gone to get Raine.

"We are idiots... We left her alone and vulnerable." As I look to Chase, I see that his face is the same as mine, Terror.

"We can't leave these kids..." Chase says as he walks over to the group still huddled together. "I know that you all are scared, but it is going to be ok. We are going to take you somewhere safe away from here." The kids start to look up at him, and one of them finally speaks up.

"Are you going to take us home?" His words stab my heart. These poor kids have been through hell.

"I am going to do my best to get you all home, but first we have to meet the others outside, and all go to Bastien's home, ok..." He says to the kids, pointing at my dad when he says his name.

"Then can we go home?" another boy asked, looking at all of us one at a time.

"When we get to my house and get everything situated, we will try our best to find your homes, ok," I say and give the boy a smile hoping that it will help ease his worries. It must have worked because he went to stand, and the other kids followed his lead.

"Mister...." The same boy that spoke last said to me.

"My name is Levi," I told him, still smiling at him.

"My friend Katie can't walk, and I am not strong enough to carry her. So we can't leave her." He said as he looked down like he was ashamed.

"We would never leave her. Where is she?" I asked, and all the kids moved over, and I could see a little girl lying in the far corner. Her hair was matted, and she looked pale. I walked closer, and I could see that her clothes were ripped. It looked like she had been whipped.

"What happened to Katie?" I asked, looking back to the boy.

"She was whipped for spilling water, but she didn't spill it. I spilled the water, but she took the blame for me, and when I tried to tell them that I did it, they whipped her harder." He said as tears started to run down his face.

"It's ok... What is your name?" I ask the boy realizing that he had not told us.

"I'm Jacob."

"Well, Jacob, we are going to get out of here and get her some help," I told him as I lifted her in my arms and made my way back over to Chase.

"Ok, I need everyone to hold on to each other ok. We are going to teleport outside. I need you to keep your hands on each other at all times, understand?" Chase explained to them, and they all nodded. Joseph lifted Emma and held her while I had the little girl. Dad limped over and put his hand on Chase and a hand on one of the kids. The rest of us laid hands on each other, and we were back in the woods in no time.

Levi and the other kids were there and waiting. He had the kids huddled together behind some brush.

"What the hell happened?" Luca said, looking at everyone in shock.

"We have to get home. Barrett has already gone there." Dad said, and the realization on Luca's face said it all.

"Well, what are we waiting on? Let's go," Luca said as he walked closer to us.

"Ok, kids, come on, I need you to hold the hand of one of your friends. We are going to teleport again, and this time we are going to Bastien'sBastien's house. Remember, keep your hands together, don't let go of each other." Chase said, and all the kids came over and took each other's hands. We were all in a multi-circle shape, the kids making circles on the inside and the adults on the outside. I took a deep breath. We are coming, Raine. Please be safe, is all I could think. In a flash, we were in the forest. Wait, are we home? I looked around. I could hear noise from a distance.

"I brought us a little ways from the house. I don't want the kids in danger." I look around again, and we are not far from the treehouse. This way, I tell the kids as I make my way through the woods. Everyone follows me. When we make it to the treehouse, I look at the kids.

"Ok, kids, I want all of you to climb up to the treehouse stay here till we know that it is safe. We will come back and get you. Don't leave this spot, understand?" I ask, and they all nod as some of the kids climb up.

"We should leave her here with the kids until we know what is going on," Joseph says, talking about Emma. I nod cause I was planning on leaving little Katie here too until we know it is safe. Luca climbs up and motions for me to hand him, Katie. I do than me, and Joseph give him Emma.

"Yall are in charge of making sure everyone stays right here, ok..." Luca says to the little boy that was outside the house, and he salutes him to say yes, sir.

"Ok, Chase, take us to the house," I tell him when we are gone setting the kids up to know they are safe. Chase wasted no time in flashing us to the house. I was not prepared for what waited on us. There was fighting on every side of me. Everywhere I looked was blood and fighting. Where is Raine?